


Fearless, Like the Stars

by minnuet



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Barebacking, Bottom!Baekhyun, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Planetary Romance, Romance, Smut, dark elements of Exodus/MAMA powers, post-apocalyptic Earth, xiubaek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 14:51:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5460410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minnuet/pseuds/minnuet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Minseok is sentenced for a crime so severe that he is banished to the prison colony on Earth. An accident occurs that sends him far from his original destination, where he discovers a place far beyond anything he had ever expected, and falls in love with a young man who saves him from his past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Xiubaek challenge at winterlight9092, reposted here with a very minor edit in the last chapter.  
>  **Warning: This fic contains graphic violence and gore.**

** Prologue **

“ _Banishment_.”

The word rang through the hall, echoing all around the tall pillars.

“Do you understand what this means, Adept?” Another voice spoke up, its tone no different from the other that had uttered the dreaded words. “Your existence will be struck from the records. Your possessions will be sent to the ash chamber. The Rank you once bore proudly will carry a black mark for generations to come, lest your family severs their ties to you.” There was no trace of sympathy in the words.

The Adept raised his head to meet colorless eyes. “Of course, your Eminence.” Something flickered at the edge of his thoughts. Fear? Apathy? It lingered, for a moment, before fading.

A third voice spoke from deep within its cowled robe. “Death, perhaps, may be kinder--”

“ _Death_ is too much of an honor for a _murderer_ ,” another voice interrupted coldly. 

A murmur of agreement rippled across the hall.

“It is decided then,” the first voice spoke once more. “Let this be announced throughout the city. A Ranked Adept has been found guilty of all his crimes, and will be banished. Anyone found to be consorting or showing any form of sympathy will be considered an usurper of our rules and laws, and will be shown no leniency.” This time, the murmurs took on a displeased tone, spreading amongst those watching. A cold gaze was cast towards those gathered below. “The Tribunal has spoken.”

_The Tribunal is Law. The Tribunal is Order. The Tribunal is Peace._

As the Adept was led back to his cell, he observed his guards. They were silent, flanking him on both sides as they kept up a steady march back. _Step, step, step_. He remembered them well - their names and their faces, the jokes they made when they were first sworn into the Academy - but now, they stared straight ahead, faces stiff and seemingly etched from stone, refusing to look at him. He could sense their fear. They were afraid of him. He considered asking them if they still liked to play games.

_Not yet_ , the voice whispered in the dark. _Patience._

He stayed silent.

* * *

** Chapter 1 **

>   
>  _“One day, a stranger appeared on the horizon. He spoke a language unlike ours, and his manner and dressing were nothing we had seen before. Grandfather would have had him sent away, out of fear, but mama stopped him. It was mama who stood tall and fearless in the village hall and reminded the people of their hearts: their hearts, which, had turned cold and brittle as the recent winters that had struck our world, the very winters that had taken papa from us; yet she stood there, her own heart still full of warmth, full enough to offer kindness to this man with eyes as white as the frost.”  
>  _
> 
>     
>     
>     _\- Excerpt from the forgotten journals of Byun Sooyeong_

* * *

  


The ball flew through the air, hurtling towards the other end of the crudely marked off yard. Between two stone posts, the keeper leaned against one of them, his eyes half-closed as if he was about to doze off. For a moment, it looked as if the ball was set to fly past him; everyone held their breaths, anticipating.

The keeper let out a yawn.

The ball ended up off-course, landing on the ground and bouncing merrily. It rolled across the smooth, grey surface, slowing down before coming to a complete stop on the other side of the courtyard.

A collective groan rose from the small group that was gathered along the sides, echoing across the town square. “That’s not fair, Sehun!” someone shouted. The keeper shrugged, crossing his arms as a bored expression appeared on his face, as a light breeze ruffled his hair.

Baekhyun hurried past the group. He ducked his head slightly, to avoid being seen, but someone caught sight of him and called out his name. Quickly, he raised his hand, giving them a small, apologetic wave before hastening his footsteps. On any other day, he would have stopped to join them, or lingered around the area to catch up with the latest bit of gossip. Sometimes, he would sit at the sides to watch the games, stealing a few moments of rest before returning to work.

Today, however, was different.

Further up front, he ducked into a low archway and emerged into a narrow corridor with a low ceiling. Here, he allowed himself to slow his steps, catching his breath. As he walked, he trailed his hand along the walls that lined the corridor. The tips of his fingers traced the curved indentations and spirals that were etched into the smooth, cool surface. No one knew where they had come from, or why they had been there, but there had been rumors that they were secret messages left behind from the Old World. Of course, he had forgotten about those thoughts as he had grown up, his child-like curiosity replaced by the mundane tasks of an adult.

Finally, he stopped in front of a heavy set of doors, the familiar carvings on the wall above setting them apart from the plainer ones up ahead. When he entered his home, carefully pushing the doors shut behind him, a middle-aged lady emerged from the kitchen, a tray in her hands.

“Any luck with the doctor?”

“He’s attending another patient, but the nurse said she’ll pass along my message immediately.” He shrugged off his coat, flicking off the dust that had collected on the material during his brief sojourn into the heart of the colony, and hung it on the coat rack nearby. “Has he woken up yet, Sooyoung?”

“I peeked into the room but he was still sound asleep.” Sooyoung dropped her voice to a low whisper. “Who is he? And where did he come from? Oh, Baekhyun, he looks like he’s been in some sort of _terrible_ accident.” She shook her head, worry lining her forehead.

“I’m sure he’ll tell us in due time,” Baekhyun assured her gently. “Right now, the only thing we can do is wait for him to recover.” He took the tray from her, despite her protests. “Don’t worry about it, Sooyoung. Here, why don’t you take a rest, and I’ll bring this to him.” He paused. “See if you can whip up something light for him to eat too. He looks like he hasn’t eaten in awhile.”

“I’ll get to it right away, ” she said, patting her hands on her apron before hurrying off.

The door leading to the back room was closed. It took a fair bit of careful maneuvering to slide the screen aside while balancing the tray in his hands. Eventually he succeeded, and stepped over the threshold to enter the room, sliding the door shut behind him.

The room had once been a study of sorts. Journals lined the shelves that had been installed against one side of the room, a thick layer of dust covering them. Nearby, a low table held a variety of artifacts and strange objects that he had never managed to figure out their purpose. There was a small bed here, too, placed so long ago when the room had been turned into a storage place. Before this, it had served as a makeshift space for the crates of books that Baekhyun’s family had collected over the years - but at this moment, instead of those books, there was someone lying in it, fast asleep. 

Baekhyun had found him, hours ago, unconscious but badly injured. It had taken some effort to carry the man out of the tunnels, and Baekhyun had had no choice but to half-drag him, half-carry him along, pausing every once in a while to catch his breath. 

As Baekhyun watched, the man stirred in his sleep, muttering. He caught a few words, and frowned. It sounded familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place where he had heard those words before, spoken in a tone that seemed strangely soft and melodic.

Baekhyun took another step closer, with the intention of catching the words again. His hip bumped against the edge of the table. Water sloshed over the rim of the clay jug, splashing merrily onto the tray he held in his hands, onto the hands that were clutching the same tray tightly. A few drops landed up on that sleeping face.

The man woke up.

Blinking in confusion, he glanced around him before his eyes landed on Baekhyun standing nearby, frozen in place in shock. It took him a few short moments before the man’s eyes widened and then he attempted to sit upright.

“Wait--” Baekhyun began, but his words were cut off by the sharp hiss of pain as the man folded over in his position, clutching his knee with his bandaged hands. Another painful sound escaped him.

Baekhyun stepped closer, intending to help, but the movement attracted the man’s attention.  
He shrank back warily, his eyes narrowing. Baekhyun stopped moving. “Look, I’m not… I won’t hurt you, okay?” he said, trying to sound soothing. “Don’t-- don’t be afraid.”

Baekhyun waited for him to speak, or respond - but when it was clear that he was not about to say anything else, Baekhyun slowly took another step.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said in what he hoped was his most reassuring voice. “I’m just--I’m just getting you something to drink, see?” He placed the tray down carefully, and reached for the jug - slowly, very _very_ slowly - and tilted it slightly. A thin trickle of water began to fill the cup with clear drinking water before setting the jug back onto the tray. He picked up the glazed cup, handing it out towards the stranger. “Would you-- would you like some?”

The stranger eyed the cup in suspicion. His hands stayed in his lap.

“It’s just water,” Baekhyun assured him. An idea occurred to him, and he lifted the cup to his lips, sipping from it. “See? Perfectly safe.” He held the cup out towards the man.

He received another look. This one felt strangely tinged with skepticism, before the man looked down. Baekhyun’s gaze followed, settling on his thickly bandaged hands and it occurred then why he had made no move to take the cup.

“Oh.” Baekhyun could feel his cheeks turning hot. “Sorry, uh, let me help you with that.“ He shuffled closer towards the bed, and, feeling almost as if he were still approaching a wild animal, slowly raised the cup to the man’s lips. He expected a rejection at first, but to his surprise, the stranger leaned forward and took a cautious sip, while his eyes stayed locked on Baekhyun’s face.

“More?” Baekhyun asked, once the cup was empty. The stranger’s expression still stayed the same, apprehension lingering around the edges, but Baekhyun could see how his eyes shifted slightly to look at the jug on the tray, before he shifted them back. 

Without waiting for a reply, he refilled the cup. This time, the man accepted the drink more eagerly, the long line of his throat working visibly as he tipped his head back when Baekhyun pressed the cup against his lips once more, letting the water slide into his mouth. When he was satisfied, he settled back against the pillows. He looked more refreshed than he had been earlier, although the mistrustful expression had returned to his face. Silently, he studied the poorly wrapped bandages on his hands with a critical arch of his eyebrows.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Baekhyun rubbed the back of his neck. “I did what I could to clean your wounds, but unfortunately I’m no doctor.” The man’s gaze was sharp and piercing - as if he were studying Baekhyun, _assessing_ him. “I called for one, though. He should be showing up soon to take a look at you-- ” He broke off, and laughed nervously. “Here I am, talking away -- but, ah, you can’t understand what I’m saying, can you?” Baekhyun tried to grin at him, to ease the mood a little and received another blank stare. Quickly, he turned his back on the man to set the cup back down onto the tray, while trying to distract himself from making a bigger fool of himself.

“Thank you.”

Baekhyun almost dropped the cup, startled. “I… uh… you’re welcome,” he stuttered, taken aback. The man could speak, after all. He glanced back at him, noticing that the wary expression he had been wearing earlier was now replaced by one of curiosity. 

The man looked around the room, as if studying it idly, before settling his eyes back on Baekhyun. “Where is this place?”

“It’s-- it’s my home. I found you in the tunnels earlier and brought you here.” He paused. “You… were bleeding badly.”

The scrutinizing look returned. “You… brought me here. To your own home.” His voice sounded somewhat hoarse, perhaps from being exposed for too long to the air above. There was a soft, lilting quality to it that caught Baekhyun’s attention. “Why?”

“Well, I couldn’t just _leave_ you there.” Not only had the stranger finally spoken, he could understand Baekhyun’s words perfectly. The few people whom he had encountered from outside the colony had had difficulties communicating with the colonists, their accents deep and guttural in comparison. Wherever the stranger had come from, he sounded nothing like them. While his speech seemed halted, as if he was unsure of his pronunciation, the same melodic tones he had heard earlier when the man was talking in his sleep was still there, lingering at the edge of his words. 

The man blinked, as if confused by his answer. “Most would not go out of their way for a stranger.” He leaned back against the bed, a perplexed look on his face. “You are… odd.”

“Uh…” Baekhyun faltered, unsure of how to respond to that. “What--what’s your name?”

A long pause. “Minseok.”

“Minseok,” Baekhyun repeated. “I’m---”

“ _Byun Baekhyun_ , you better have a damn good reason for making me come all the way here at this hour,” a voice boomed from outside the room.

“And that’ll be the doctor,” Baekhyun remarked dryly just as the screen was heavily pushed aside, followed by someone climbing over the threshold and stomping into the room.

He stopped in front of Baekhyun, and leaned closer to peer at him suspiciously. “You don’t look like you’re dying,” he said sourly.

“Never been healthier, thanks to your wonderful ministrations, o’ wise Jongdae,” Baekhyun told him airily.

“Your message said ‘dire need of medical attention’,” Jongdae snapped, before he caught sight of Minseok. “Who’s this?” The annoyed expression began to melt away from his face, replaced by one of curiosity.

“This is Minseok, your newest patient,” Baekhyun answered, as he gestured dramatically at Minseok. “I found him in one of the tunnels up north.” He dropped his voice, looking away from Minseok to whisper to Jongdae, this time serious. “It looks like he’s got a broken leg, so I did what you taught me before and made a splint for it. But his hands… they were cut pretty badly. I did what I could.”

Jongdae grunted in response, but he nodded and moved away, stepping closer towards Minseok. “Let’s have a look at them."

He _hmm’ed_ and _hah’ed_ , running his fingers along Minseok’s leg, pausing at the knee several times. “Looks like a dislocation instead of a break. Lucky for you, I can reset it, but you’re still going to need to keep it immobilized for a while.” He eyed Minseok’s poorly bandaged hands, and turned to give Baekhyun an exasperated look.

“ _I tried_ ,” Baekhyun said, feeling defensive.

“Proving again why you’re the worst assistant I’ve ever had,” Jongdae muttered, as he began to unwind the cloth from Minseok’s hands, revealing his wounds.

“It’s not pretty, I’d admit,” Baekhyun said, noticing Minseok’s grimace at the sight. “I tried my best, but I didn’t want to make things worse.”

“For once, you actually did the right thing,” Jongdae retorted. “Look,” he added, this time addressing Minseok, “I’m not going to mince words. You picked up a really bad infection from something that was probably floating around Outside. I can treat your hands, but that means I’m going to have to cut the wounds open again in order to clean them, before stitching them up. _That’s_ going to hurt even worse than the knee.”

“What’s the alternative?” Minseok asked.

“You lose your hands.” Jongdae shrugged. “It’s your choice, but personally I wouldn’t recommend the second option.”

Minseok’s expression flickered slightly, but then it was replaced by one of casual indifference. “Do it, then. I can handle a little pain.”

Jongdae rolled his eyes visibly. “ _A little pain_ , he says,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Right, let’s deal with the knee first.” He looked at Baekhyun. “You got any whisky?”

 

****

* * *

Minseok drifted. He felt weightless. It was strange, he thought, to be floating like this. It seemed like he was no longer in his own body. For a moment, he wondered if Lu Han was playing tricks on him again, switching his sleeping arrangements in the middle of the night. He considered hunting down his oath-brother and freezing his hair for revenge.

He drifted along, still caught between worlds. He was moving through a rocky expanse now, no, _walking_ , limping. His hands and feet hurt, his head throbbed painfully, like a thousand hammers pounding from the inside. The air was thick, filled with a heavy sort of heat that he had never felt before, and he wondered if he would find someplace to rest soon. He was tired - so tired, he thought, and exhausted.

The expanse faded to a mountain range, and then a cave. The opening was too small a fit for a normal-sized humanoid - but Minseok still managed to squeeze through it anyway. 

There were falling rocks; something struck him. The ground gave way instantly, and then he was falling; slipping and sliding deeper into the darkness. There was pain - nothing but endless pain - and in between all of that, a soft laugh that echoed all around him, then a glowing light--

Minseok’s eyes fluttered open, and he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. For a moment, he stared in confusion at the rocky surface, disorientated. This was not the priceless white marble of the Academy, nor the ice-blue metal furnishings of his home in Xeia, nor even the dank grey cells they had kept him in while he awaited trial. This was somewhere else.

As he shook off the remaining fog of sleep that clung to him, he began to recall his dreams. Which, now that he thought about it ruefully, were not dreams, but memories. The prison transport he had been sitting in had announced its final descent, entering Earth’s atmosphere. There had been an announcement delivered over the speakers in an emotionless synthesized voice - informing all those onboard to brace for landing. Two seconds later, the transport had shuddered, and a low, horrible grinding sound had been heard throughout the ship as the emergency klaxon began to blare. Minseok had been in his cell, a small narrow space where he had barely enough leg room, when the prisoners in the other cells began to panic, their shouts and yells barely heard over the alarms.

Then, a loud explosion had rocked the ship, echoing through the corridors, splitting it half.

Later, he would wonder about it, about how calm he had been when he was surrounded by chaos. Later, he would wake up alone, bleeding, _alive_ \-- while the sun shone hot and cruel on his face and dust and toxins filled the air, his lungs and throat. The escape pod lay scattered on the ground around him , in pieces. Nothing could be salvaged. Not that he wanted any part of it, afraid that even a small fragment on his person would lead the trackers directly to him.

The transport ship was nowhere to be seen. He had no intention of looking for it. Minseok was sure that they would send out search parties to look for survivors soon enough - and he wasn’t about to sit there and wait for them to recapture him. He would rather take his chances with the planet. There were people here too, he remembered. He had read about them, during one of his anthropology classes. Descendants, from those who had survived the devastation on the planet. Savage. Dangerous. He would take his chances with them too.

It felt warm - too warm, in fact. Instinctively, he reached out, seeking the cold, hoping to wrap it around him for a little needed comfort and felt…nothing. Now he remembered. He no longer had his ability. The impossible had happened, and now he felt as weak as a newborn, unsure of his steps in the world, without any means of protection at all.

A desolate feeling began to grow within him. The years of training hadn’t prepared him for this. His ability was a part of him, as important to him as breathing - and to have it completely cut off from him made him feel... _empty_. It was like having a part of him ripped off, the pain far worse than anything he had ever felt his entire life.

Sighing, he leaned back, trying to keep his mind away from the trap of despair. It would do him no good to go mad now, not when he still had some of his wits with him. He was still alive - although, he remembered now, he had injured his leg during his fall inside the cave.

Someone had saved him. He remembered a young man, with bright eyes, and a childish smile that seemed to light up his entire face. Floppy hair. Fingers that were long and delicate, untouched by any sort of menial labour. What was it the doctor had called him? _Byun Baekhyun_. 

Minseok attempted to get up. A wrenching pain pierced his leg, starting from his knee, spreading across his thighs and reminding him of his injuries. With a grunt of effort, he ignored it, pulling himself into an upright position. Finally, he succeeded in sitting up, his back pressed against the stone wall behind him as he pushed down the blankets that covered the lower part of his body. His leg was in a cast. He eyed it apprehensively. He had read of this primitive method before, when he had been in his second year of training. It was a way to keep the injured body part from moving about and causing further injury, but he remembered thinking why couldn’t one simply send for a Healer Adept to fix the problem.

He leaned forward and tapped the cast lightly. At least it seemed sturdy, if inconvenient. He couldn’t imagine trying to move around in this without some sort of assistance, not with the bulky thing attached to his leg. The doctor - Jongdae, he recalled the name now - seemed to have a terrible bedside manner, but he had done a good job treating Minseok’s wounds, stitching them with surprising gentleness. He could feel the effectiveness of whatever medicine or salve he had used on them, although Minseok would take a long time to recover from feeling sick every time he thought of how his wounds had looked before.

The door that led into the room slid aside. Startled, Minseok looked up, his body growing tense.

“Oh, you’re-- you’re awake.” It was Baekhyun. _Byun Baekhyun_ , the human who had saved him. His hair was still floppy, but he looked less tired than he had been yesterday. The smile was still on his face, bright like the sun. “Jongdae said he gave you something earlier for the pain. I thought you would still be sleeping.”

Minseok relaxed a little. “I was, for a little while.” He paused, noticing the tray in Baekhyun’s hands, filled with a small earthenware pot and two bowls. “What’s that?”

Baekhyun was looking at him with a shy smile. “Dinner,” he answered, stepping into the room and making his way towards Minseok. “Sooyoung’s left us some stew.” He set the tray on the table beside the bed, and lifted the cover on top of the pot. 

Instantly, Minseok was hit by an assortment of heavy spices, the scent filling his nose. He watched as Baekhyun began to scoop out the thick, hot broth with a ladle into both bowls. He was about to hand one to Minseok when he paused. “Ah… I forgot about that,” he said awkwardly, his gaze landing on Minseok’s hands.

Minseok raised them, casting a critical eye at the bandages. “These do make it a little difficult to feed myself,” he agreed dryly.

“Well,” Baekhyun told him, grinning suddenly, “I suppose I have the honor of doing it for you, then.” He sat down, on the edge of the bed, holding the bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other.

Minseok stared at him. “I’m not a _baby_ ,” he responded in irritation.

“Of course you’re not,” Baekhyun said easily, lifting a spoonful of stew to blow on it lightly, before holding it up to Minseok’s lips. “Say ‘ah’.”

Minseok looked at him stonily. He was about to refuse this… _coddling_ , when suddenly, his stomach growled in response.

Baekhyun’s smile grew wider.

For a long moment, Minseok stared disdainfully at the spoon, then at Baekhyun’s impish smile, and then back at the spoon again. “Just _one_ bite,” he said, finally giving in. He tried not to wince as the smile grew brighter.

It was still too hot, and Minseok burnt his tongue slightly on the first sip. But it _was_ delicious. One spoonful of stew turned to two, and then another; before he noticed, he had already finished the entire bowl. 

Baekhyun seemed almost smug as he scooped another portion for Minseok. This time, Minseok refused it. “You should eat,” he pointed out. “Not just me.” They went back and forth about it, until Baekhyun relented. 

Minseok watched him while he ate. Baekhyun, he noticed, was a restless person. His knee jiggled up and down, as if he was antsy over something, and he talked. _A lot_. Between bites of his food, he spoke about how he had found Minseok, as well as about the colony that they were in now.

The colony, Minseok discovered, was an underground settlement. Baekhyun had been born here, like his father and mother before him. His great-grandparents had been from the Outside, but they had been one of the first few settlers here. Since then, it had grown into a utopia of sorts.

The tunnels, Baekhyun explained, led from the Outside - well, most of them, at least. In the past, they had had problems with others attempting to steal from the colony, to take advantage of their kindness, and those had been sealed for a long time. How did Minseok end up there? He didn’t wait for an answer, and and Baekhyun went on to tell Minseok that he had been lucky he hadn't ended up in the Pit, which was what they called the endless drop that existed in one of the tunnels. He was lucky Baekhyun had found him too, he said.

Minseok hardly spoke, but he listened, partly fascinated by Baekhyun’s continuous chatter. It was clear that whatever Minseok had read in the books had been wrong. That there _were_ people living here, a society that thrived beneath the poisonous surface. These were not the _savages_ as he had been led to believe. More so, while their tone and accent were different, the language here felt as familiar to him as his own. He tried to remember where he had heard the strange, melodic accents before, but his thoughts still swam in confusion, the past and present mixing together.

There were many questions that rested on the tip of Minseok’s tongue, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. He was still cautious about trusting anyone here, even if Baekhyun, who had saved him and brought him here, seemed harmless enough.

“Where are your parents?” he asked, interrupting Baekhyun midway as he attempted to explain the crops that they grew underground. He recalled there being mention of a housekeeper, whom he had met, apart from Baekhyun. There had been no one else.

Baekhyun’s voice faltered, and he stopped talking. He cast his gaze down, cradling the bowl in his hands and on top of his lap. Minseok realized, suddenly, that he was blinking back tears. “They… they--” He swallowed, taking a deep breath before continuing. “It’s--ah-- it’s just me here.”

“I’m… sorry.” Minseok felt guilty. He hadn’t meant to be so careless with his words. He tried to think of something else to say. “I… don’t have anyone either.” That was partially true. His parents had wept when they visited him in his cell, and told him that they were planning to leave Xeia for one of the new settlements spaceside. His mother had held him for a long time, before she kissed him on the cheek goodbye, pressing into his palm a small lucky charm that had been taken from him when the authorities had found him. The silver had felt cool and hard against his skin. 

He thought of the charm, attached to the leather cord that he wore around his neck, close to his heart. It had belonged to his sister, once. That was all that remained of his past life.

A warm hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up, and found that Baekhyun had moved closer, to place his hand there. His eyes were still wet, but there was a look of sympathy on his face. “I’m sorry, too,” he said quietly. “I’ve heard that… living on the Outside, it isn’t easy.”

Swallowing, Minseok shook his head. Baekhyun thought that he was from another colony. If only he knew. He doubted he would believe him if Minseok told him the truth. “It’s… it’s fine.” Better to pretend, he thought. It wasn’t as if Minseok would be staying here long enough.

It took him a moment to realize Baekhyun was still speaking. “You can stay here for as long as you want, though,” he was saying. “I mean, I have this spare room, and you need a place to stay to get better, right?”

Minseok frowned. “What about your housekeeper?”

“Sooyoung has her own place, although she comes by once a day to help clean and cook for me. She was the family housekeeper, but.. ah… since there’s just me, it didn’t feel right to force her to stay when she has her own family to take care of.”

Minseok considered his offer for a long moment. “Alright,” he finally relented.

Baekhyun smiled at him, looking too happy and pleased. Minseok could not help smiling back slightly, before he leaned back against the pillows, feeling tired again. He was still too weak to travel on his own, and he needed supplies, a map. And a ship, if one existed here.

He would find his way off this planet somehow, and go home.


	2. Chapter 2

> _“Father used to tell us many stories about the Old World before bedtime: of wondrous buildings that reached high enough to touch the skies; of vessels that could fly across the land, bringing hundreds of people in less time than it took for the sun to climb the sky; of machines that were fueled by things more powerful than steam and coal, that could light up entire colonies for decades._
> 
> _Of course, those were only stories. How could something like that exist, in a world as barren as ours?”  
>  _
> 
>     
>     
>     _- **The Old World Stories and Other Collections** , by Byun Seunghyun_

* * *

  


“The forbidden tunnels?”

Joonmyun stopped his pacing, and turned to face Baekhyun. “They were _forbidden_ for a reason, Baekhyun.” He had a look on his face that was a cross between a painful grimace and exasperation - neither of which, in Baekhyun's experience, boded well. “No one is allowed in there, not even myself. What were you doing there?”

Baekhyun bowed his head in apology. He kept his gaze on the floor, feeling chastised somehow. He had been through worse scraps before but had always managed to escape a long lecture from the colony’s leader - but this time, it didn’t seem like Joonmyun was willing to let him off lightly.

Two days had passed since he had found Minseok and brought him back to his home, but it felt like so much had happened already. When Jongdae had reset Minseok’s knee - he didn’t even let out a scream of pain, but merely grunted when Jongdae finally pushed the bone back in place. Not that he didn’t have some help; the half-empty bottle of whisky was all that remained after Jongdae was done, and Minseok ended up passed out again soon after.

When it was clear that Baekhyun wasn’t about to answer, Joonmyun went back to pacing the floor in agitation once more. “And you brought a stranger into our colony, into our midst, without knowing his intentions! _What were you thinking_?”

“He was injured,” Baekhyun mumbled. “I couldn’t just leave him there--”

“But how did he get there in the first place? Your grandfather himself sealed those tunnels years ago. _They were never reopened_. How did this intruder--”

“Minseok,” Baekhyun corrected, looking up. He shrank back instantly when Joonmyun stopped to give him a narrow-eyed look.

“How did this… _Minseok_ end up there?” Joonmyun demanded. “Did he mentioned anything about it? Which colony was he from? Why was he there?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “I--- I didn’t think to ask.” Minseok had seemed so reluctant to talk at first, and it was only when Baekhyun had spoken about being alone that he seemed to show some sign of emotion. There was an underlying sadness within him that had tugged at Baekhyun’s heartstrings, as if he understood and shared the same sense of loss Baekhyun had gone through.

Sighing, Joonmyun raised his hand and began rubbing his forehead with the heel of his palm pressing against it as if trying to stave off a headache. He seemed to take a few deep breaths, before dropping his hand and looking straight at Baekhyun. “Perhaps I should visit him myself now, and get some answers--”

“No!” Joonmyun looked just as startled as Baekhyun felt at the abrupt shout that had escaped him. Clearing his throat, Baekhyun continued, trying to sound calmer, “He’s still recovering from his injuries and was asleep when I left this morning. Maybe we should ask him all those questions later when -- ah--- when he’s better.”

For several long seconds, as Baekhyun held his breath, Joonmyun gave him a searching look. Finally he spoke. “Fine, we’ll give him a little more time, as you suggest.”

Baekhyun inwardly let out the sigh of relief. His elation was short lived, however, when Joonmyun crossed his arms and gave Baekhyun a stern look. “In the meantime, you can tell me exactly why _you_ were in those tunnels…”

 

When Baekhyun finally emerged from his meeting with Joonmyun, his ears were still ringing from the lecture he had received. Joonmyun hadn’t been entirely convinced by Baekhyun’s reason for visiting the tunnels - to search for some rare minerals that he thought he could use in his work - but had managed to accept that he would not visit those tunnels again.

“Keep an eye on this Minseok while he’s here,” Joonmyun had said, just as Baekhyun had been about to leave. “Until we find out who he is, we should be careful around him.”

Baekhyun looked up towards the clock tower in the middle of the square, where it stood, facing the building that served as both Joonmyun’s office and home. It hit him then that he had been in discussion with Joonmyun for nearly two hours, which meant that a significant part of his day had been wasted. Which, he realized, to his dismay, also meant that not only would he be late in making his deliveries today, but that he wouldn’t be able to find the time to drop by Jongdae’s place as he had planned.

By the time Baekhyun made his way home at the end of the day, he was feeling doubly exhausted. He had spent all day catching up with his orders and running around the colony to deliver the goods. His clients hadn’t been too pleased when he had shown up late, but thankfully, he hadn’t received anything more than a frown or two.

To his surprise, when he stepped through the door into his home - he encountered Jongdae who was in the middle of pulling on his coat, ready to head out.

“Doc?” Baekhyun blinked. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d drop by and check up on our mysterious patient.” Jongdae reached for his bag, which he had placed aside. “He’s doing a lot better than I expected. In another three weeks or so, we can remove the cast completely. But he shouldn’t try moving about too much until it fully heals.” He glanced at Baekhyun curiously, before lowering his voice. “I heard you saw Joonmyun this morning. He didn’t seem too… happy.”

Baekhyun winced. “He was less than pleased to find out where I found Minseok. Said a whole lot of things about it being dangerous to go into the tunnels and that I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

“He’s not the only one who’s worried,” Jongdae said quietly. “I know you’ve always had a soft heart, Baekhyun, but Minseok’s not some stray animal that you can just bring home just like that.”

“I don’t bring home stray animals--”

Jongdae gave him a ‘don’t-lie-to-me’ look. “There was that strange-looking furry creature that you brought to me a few months ago, and then that falcon that had its wing chewed off by some creature, and then--”

“ _Alright, alright_ ,” Baekhyun raised his hands in mock-surrender. “Fine, so maybe you’re right.” He went quiet, thinking back to the first time Minseok had spoken to him. From the way he had reacted, it felt that he was more wary of Baekhyun than anything else. Had he wanted to harm Baekhyun, he would have done so then. “I still think he’s not here to hurt us, let alone cause any problems for anyone here.”

Ruffling his hair affectionately, Jongdae gave him a fond look. “Like I said, you have a soft heart.” He adjusted his coat once more. “Anyway, I should be going. I still have a few more house calls to make. Oh, one more thing.” Here he paused, almost out the door. “Joonmyun asked me to pass on a message to you. He wants you to find out more about Minseok.”

Baekhyun raised his eyebrow. “Wait, why me?”

“First of all, he seems to trust you - weird as that is--”

“ _Hey_ ,” Baekhyun interrupted, offended.

“--and Joonmyun thinks that you’re the best person to approach him about the topic, instead of him.” Jongdae’s expression turned sly. “Besides, I saw the way you were looking at Minseok yesterday. Shouldn’t you be glad for a chance to spend more time with him?”

Baekhyun blushed. He had to admit that once the blood and grime had been cleaned off, Minseok was a _very_ attractive man. “It’s not like that,” he began hotly, but Jongdae snorted.

“You’re too easy to read,” he said. “I’m off, anyway. I’ll swing around tomorrow to check on him again.” With a nod, he stepped away, leaving Baekhyun alone to deal with this new problem.

 

****

* * *

It took two weeks for Minseok’s hands to heal. Jongdae told him to keep them lightly bandaged for a while longer, a task that fell to Baekhyun who took it on with no complaints. Which meant that every evening, Baekhyun would sit in his room and change the dressings, chatting away brightly.

Over time, Minseok learnt more about the colony. He had been confused at first by the way Baekhyun spoke of the ‘Outside’. Even Jongdae had mentioned it a few times in passing - but soon, he eventually discovered that this was what the colonists called the world above. The Outside was near impossible to live in, and the air made it difficult to breathe it for more than a few hours without feeling like one’s lungs were burning. The colony itself was safe, hidden deep underground beneath a mountainous valley.

He discovered that Baekhyun ran a store that provided lamps for the colony. It had been inherited from his father, who had inherited it from _his_ father. He also learnt that there was a leader who oversaw the affairs within the colony. Joonmyun had been in charge for as long as Baekhyun could remember, having received the post from the previous leader who had died peacefully at a ripe old age. Minseok envisioned an elderly man with a walking stick - which seemed to fit the nagging character that Baekhyun loved to re-enact for Minseok’s benefit. It was hard not to smile at his antics. Minseok hadn’t smiled for anyone in a long time.

Minseok avoided the questions about where he was from. Sometimes they came up in the middle of a conversation, when Baekhyun would break off mid-topic, tilt his head, and ask Minseok about his colony. Minseok never answered though. He couldn’t remember much, he would say, and then he would change the topic, asking Baekhyun about something else.

Sometimes, he meditated.

It was futile, he knew, but he couldn’t help trying anyway. The healers had tried and failed; the First Ranks who had been given permission to test him had tried as well, and been just as unsuccessful. There was no coolness waiting at the fringe for him to reach out towards, no familiar ice-like tendrils wrapping around him, offering him comfort.

He breathed deeply, and closed his eyes. Searching.

The silence stretched around him. There was no one home, after all; Baekhyun had left for work, and Sooyoung had gone to the market, probably to stave off more gossip about his appearance in the colony. He was surrounded by nothing but rock, deep underground, where nothing should have existed.

The stillness was deafening.

After a long time, in what felt like ages, Minseok let out a sigh and opened his eyes once more. It was the same every single time. Emptiness waited for him, instead of the cold.

Still, he refused to feel defeated. He had hear of other Adepts that had existed, who had been able to seek out their abilities when they thought they had burnt out - but those were usually dismissed as legends, or myth. Being burnt out was rare amongst powerful Adepts, but it happened commonly enough amongst the trainees. Poor control of their abilities was said to be one of the reasons. Furthermore, most of them lacked the understanding that their ability was not a separate entity that existed within them, but an elemental connection between their mind and body. It was a matter of bringing it forward, from deep within. The abilities were a _part_ of them, their characters and behaviors and thoughts; separating them was impossible.

Or it should have been. It was easy to let one’s self be controlled by the sense of power, instead of holding the reins and guiding it. Minseok had seen it happen firsthand. He wished he never had.

After a few hours, he finally grew tired. Perhaps he needed more time to heal - even though he was getting better, the pain returned in partial waves. Especially when he forgot himself, too used to the freedom of movement, and he would place a hand on a hard surface to support himself before snatching it back, holding it against his chest to will the pain away.

Today, however, he felt himself growing bored. He eyed the row of books on the shelves, and wondering if he could attempt to reach them. Perhaps he could, if he moved slowly and carefully enough. He calculated the distance and the objects that he could use as leverage along the imaginary path he built in his mind to reach the shelf, and, filled with a new resolve, began to move.

The pain returned, but he took deep, open-mouthed breaths, trying to ignore it. He hobbled forward slowly, using the chair that had been next to the bed as support, dragging it forward and gripping it tightly as leverage. Eventually he was close enough to reach the shelf, and he placed the chair in front of wall, sitting down on it heavily, his limbs giving way to exhaustion.

After a while, he looked up at the shelf nearest to him and picked out the one that was closest. The pages looked old and yellowed, with an odd, musty smell that emitted from the leather-bound cover, but they were still intact. He flipped to the first page and began to read.

Back at the Academy, while the other trainees were caught up with their own petty affairs, Minseok would spend hours in the library, reading. It was not to say he didn’t enjoy life, either - Lu Han, his oath-brother, would dig him out from under his books and force him out for games and pranks. Of course, the latter would eventually get them into more trouble than they were worth - followed by a stern summons to the head of the Academy’s office.

Minseok wondered about Lu Han, remembering his laugh and stupid jokes, and his heart ached at the memory. He quietly pushed the thought away, hiding it in the corners of his mind where he kept all of his fears and emotions, and picked out another book.

This time, it seemed to be a journal of some sort, written in an old language. Minseok tilted his head, studying it in confusion. He had seen this before, having studied it when he was younger, but he hadn’t realized that it was an Earth-borne language. The author spoke of the planet, of the days that passed after the destruction. Food grew scarce. Medical supplies had been exhausted. Governments had been destroyed, world order did not exist; it was every man for himself. Nothing could grow properly in the soil, and more and more people were dying every day from the poison in the air.

The author had tried to find a place that would be safe enough for the people to hide in, and found that there were some caves, deep in the mountains, that would fit them. The village came with him, his wife and daughter, looking for escape. Days would pass before he realized that they would run out of food and water eventually - unless they did something about it.

In another entry, the author wrote about the caves, and how they seemed connected to one another by a set of tunnels, much like an anthill. He went deeper into the tunnels, searching and - by a stroke of luck - found an enormous cavern. The light that he had brought with him seemed to touch an endless blackness, and it took him several hours of walking to reach the other end.

Later, the author wrote, they would discover that the cavern was an underground valley, strategically hidden underneath the mountain range. They created light markers and placed them all the around the cavern. They estimated the distance to be as wide as four or five farmlands, the ceiling tall enough to fit several oak trees placed on top of one another from root to tip. Here, to their surprise, was running water too - a spring, clean and untouched by the poison in the air - and strange plants that grew along the banks, covering the ground with foliage.

They had brought the others into the cavern and began the arduous task of segregating the valley into different sections. An area nearest to the water source was set aside for agriculture, and another for them to live in. The spring snaked towards the middle of the cavern before disappearing into a yawning gap in the ground - here, they built a wall around it and made it part of the town square. Eventually, the colony became a self-sustaining one, without the need for anyone to leave for the Outside. More people came, refugees escaping the harsh conditions of the planet and the new order that existed above. On the Outside the world turned savage and ruthless; here, in their underground colony, they lived quietly like moles in a hill.

Minseok was caught up with reading about the past, where the air was thinner and the land still burned for thousands of miles across the continents, when he heard a quiet knock on the door. Startled out of his thoughts, he glanced at the timepiece on the shelf, realizing it was now late afternoon. Baekhyun had probably returned from his shop. “Come in,” he called out. 

The door slid open, and Baekhyun entered the room. He looked around and his eyes landed on Minseok, seated on the ground with his back against the wall, his legs splayed out in front of him and balancing an opened book on his lap.

“Er…” Baekhyun hesitated. “What are you doing?”

“Reading,” Minseok replied. He turned another page.

“On the floor?”

Minseok shrugged. In truth, he had tried to make his way back to the bed, but the effort had been wasted when he had almost stumbled. The floor seemed like a safer spot to rest, after that. “It felt like a waste of time having to get up for a new book every time I finished one.” He gestured at the books he had gone through, stacked high beside him. Baekhyun’s eyes seem to widen slightly. “You have a really… extensive collection.”

Baekhyun chuckled. He walked towards Minseok and unceremoniously sat down on the floor, facing Minseok. He gave the books along the shelves a wistful look. “All of these used to belong to my great-grandfather.” He reached over and lightly tapped the book that Minseok was holding onto. “This, by the way, was his diary.”

Minseok’s gaze dropped back down, and he noticed it now, the small notation at the bottom of the page. The name that had been written in neat, clean characters. _11th April, Byun Kihyun_.

“He lived for a really long time,” Baekhyun said. “He passed on before I was born, but my mother used to say that he was the best storyteller in the colony. He would talk about the Old World, the things that he remembered hearing about when he was growing up.” He looked almost fond. “I wish I had known him. It would have been nice to hear some of those stories, but I’m glad he had all these books.”

“Do you read them?”

Baekhyun laughed. “I’m… bad with books. I get really bored.” He shrugged. “Besides, I don’t have the time for it. The shop keeps me busy, and I get a lot of people asking for more deliveries this close to the festival.”

“Festival?” Minseok asked, confused.

“Oh!” Baekhyun’s face lit up. “I forgot you wouldn’t have heard about it. It’s the end of the harvest season, so we have a big festival in the square in the centre of the colony.” He tilted his head. “You’ll love it. There’s dancing, and singing, and lots of food!”

“Perhaps not dancing,” Minseok remarked, glancing at his leg.

Baekhyun had the decency to blush. “Well, there’s food. And it’s… it’s a way for everyone to take a break from working,” he replied. Then, he paused, as if remembering something. He reached into his pocket. “By the way, this is for you.”

He pulled out his hand, and carefully handed something to Minseok, who took it curiously. It was a small stone, shaped to look like a round disc no bigger than his palm. In the middle, a spiral was carved onto the surface, reminding Minseok of the drawings in the diary.

“What is this?” he asked, turning it this way and that. He couldn’t figure out what it was for.

“Light,” Baekhyun explained, and laughed when Minseok gave him a confused look. “Here,” he took the object from him and rubbed the surface with his thumb slowly, until a soft glow began to emit from it. “I… I made this at the shop today. I thought you might… that you might like it.” 

Minseok’s eyes widen. “How did you do that?”

Baekhyun grinned at him. “It’s a family secret. But I’ve been thinking of making more of them. Use them to light up the rest of the colony.” He handed it back to Minseok, who took it. It felt cool against his fingers, instead of the heat he had expected.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. He had begun to grow used to Baekhyun, if not a little fond of him, and this gift made him feel a little warmer, inside his chest. He wished he could do something for him in return - not just for saving him, but for taking care of him. He was simple but _kind_ and good-hearted; qualities that Minseok had almost forgotten, in recent months. 

He leaned back in his seat, hit by another wave of exhaustion. He had been sitting here for too long, and he was beginning to feel his good leg grow numb.

With Baekhyun’s help, Minseok managed to hobble his way back onto the bed. There was a moment when he nearly stumbled, and Baekhyun caught him; his hands were warm on Minseok’s skin, sending a thrill of electricity along his arms.

Once he settled back onto the pillows, Baekhyun quickly took a step back. His cheeks looked a little flushed, and Minseok could feel the air was warmer than before. “I should-- ah, see what Sooyoung’s left for us to eat,” he stammered, before turning around and hurrying out of the room, leaving Minseok alone to wonder about the spark he had felt.

 

****

* * *

“He says he doesn’t remember anything.” Baekhyun looked between Jongdae and Joonmyun, trying to gauge their reactions. “I’ve been trying to ask him for weeks now, and he keeps telling me the same thing.”

They were in Joonmyun’s office, discussing Minseok. Baekhyun was getting tired of having to pry into Minseok’s personal history, and he felt that Joonmyun was being too paranoid. He hadn’t seen anything to indicate that Minseok was dangerous. Baekhyun had watched him attempt to comb his own hair this morning, something that he had insisted on doing now that his hands had almost healed. They were still bandaged, though, which made it a little awkward for him to handle the comb; the end result had been Minseok’s hair looking lopsided and fluffy on one side. Baekhyun had had to help him comb it again while Minseok had pouted grumpily. How could _that_ be a dangerous person?

Joonmyun still looked unconvinced. He crossed his arms. “What are the chances that he’s lying? Or he’s a spy from Carcere?”

“Not with those injuries,” Jongdae said. “Even if he volunteered to let himself be hurt to seem convincing, no one would be stupid enough to dislocate their own knee.” Baekhyun winced at the suggestion. He still found it hard to believe _anyone_ would want to harm their colony, let alone themselves just to get in.

“What’s your opinion of Minseok?” Joonmyun addressed Jongdae this time. “Can we trust him?”

Jongdae kept silent, as if he was mulling over the question. Baekhyun waited, holding back the urge to bite his nails nervously. “He’s definitely hiding something,” Jongdae replied finally. “Even when I try asking him about how he ended up with those injuries, he keeps avoiding the question. But--” he held up his hand, when Baekhyun opened his mouth to speak-- “One thing is for sure. He had no idea our colony existed. He seemed curious, but not intrusive, and the way he spoke or reacted felt… refined.”

“Carcere definitely doesn’t do _refined_ ,” Joonmyun agreed, although he sounded reluctant about it.

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun asked. He had heard of Carcere from some of the older colonists, but he had never seen anyone from the place. The other colony was apparently on the other side of the mountain range. There were a few rumors that no one actually lived there, that it was abandoned and full of nothing but empty cells and ghosts.

He saw the other two trading glances. Joonmyun looked back at Baekhyun. “Carcere is… was… not a good place.” His expression was pinched, as if he had something sour in his mouth. “All I know is that no one who goes there ever comes back.” Baekhyun’s eyes widened.

“Rumors,” Jongdae said, casually shrugging. “Sometimes the traders from the other colonies like making up stories themselves.” Baekhyun didn’t miss the way Joonmyun gave him a sharp look.

“Either way, that’s not the main topic here,” Joonmyun said, sounding agitated. “We still need to decide what to do with Minseok.” He ran his hands through his hair, seemingly frustrated. “I think--”

“Let’s give it another day,” Jongdae interrupted. “Maybe he’ll say something. Who knows?” He kept his gaze steady on Joonmyun, who grunted in agreement.

Relieved, Baekhyun made his escape. Jongdae caught up with him a few minutes later, as he was hurrying past the clock tower.

“Back there,” Baekhyun began. “Thanks for that.” He wanted to tell Joonmyun that he was wrong, that they had nothing to fear from Minseok. But Joonmyun was too caught up in his paranoia, and wouldn’t have listened.

“Just give him time.” Jongdae patted Baekhyun on the back. “He’s just worried, after all. He has to think of the others who live here too.”

Baekhyun sighed. Part of him knew that Jongdae was right, and yet, he couldn’t help feeling that both he and Joonmyun were _wrong_. There was something about Minseok, something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on - but whatever it was, he knew that it couldn’t be as threatening as Joonmyun had made it out to be. He had always trusted his instincts - and this time, something told him that he should listen to them again.

 

****

* * *

Baekhyun was hovering nearby, looking anxious. “Are you sure the leg has healed?” he asked, as Jongdae attempted to break open the cast that he had placed over Minseok’s leg.

“Yes,” Jongdae replied shortly.

Baekhyun leaned over his shoulder to peer at the tool that Jongdae had in hand, ready to use it on the cast. “That looks dangerous. Is that dangerous? Minseok, do you think that’s dange--“

“ _Will you stop hovering_ ,” Jongdae growled, before chasing Baekhyun out of the room by shaking the tool at him threateningly, much to Minseok’s amusement.

Jongdae turned his attention back to Minseok, muttering under his breath. “Damned punk,” he grumbled, half to himself. “I don’t know how you managed to put up with him in your face every day. Two weeks of training as my assistant was painful enough.”

“It wasn’t so terrible,” Minseok admitted. “He has a good heart.” Baekhyun had convinced Jongdae to let Minseok out into the colony last week, and with the help of a crutch, he had managed as far as the clock tower. Several people had stopped to watch them, and Baekhyun had introduced him to some of the colonists, who greeted Minseok with friendly smiles and open arms - something that he hadn’t expected at all.

Jongdae gave him a strange look, but said nothing else. Once the cast was off, Minseok let out a sigh of relief. He’d never felt so helpless in his life, and he wanted nothing more than to burn that cast and throw it off the nearest cliff. Jongdae tested Minseok’s leg, making him move the limb and watching carefully as Minseok did as he asked through gritted teeth.

“Baekhyun _is_ a good kid,” Jongdae said suddenly, in a quiet voice. “He hasn’t been on his own for long, so he tends to latch on the nearest person to treat him kindly. But he trusts too easily.”

Minseok glanced at Jongdae sharply.

“Keep going.” Jongdae tapped his leg, which had stopped moving.

His eyes narrowing, Minseok did as he was told. After a few moments, he spoke. “And what about you?” he asked, keeping his voice low and steady. “Do you trust easily?”

“Me?” Jongdae chuckled. “I think you’re hiding from someone, that’s for sure. But it’s not the first time I’ve encountered such a thing, anyway.” He shrugged. “The colony is a safe haven, and it’s easy to forget that out there, the world isn’t as placid and calm as is it here.” He gave Minseok a knowing look. “Or the worlds beyond Earth, either.”

Minseok’s heart began to beat loudly in his ears.

“Are you… going to tell anyone?” He tried to imagine Baekhyun’s reaction if he really knew what Minseok was.

“It’s not my place,” Jongdae replied calmly. “But I figure, if you’re planning on sticking around with us longer, you might want to think about that.” A nervous tap on the door made him straighten up slightly, just as Baekhyun slid it open and stuck his head in through the gap.

“Can I come back now?” he asked meekly.

“No,” Jongdae said, but Baekhyun pushed the door open wider anyway, grinning.

“How’s the leg, doc?” he asked, settling into the spot next to Minseok. His hand rested on Minseok’s shoulder as he leaned over, trying to peer at Minseok’s knee.

“Good as new,” Jongdae declared loudly, startling Baekhyun into sitting upright quickly. “But go easy on that leg for a few more days, though,” he added, this time addressing Minseok. His eyes were still too sharp, although there was a small knowing smile on his face. “Don’t let Baekhyun bully you into doing his heavy lifting for him. He’s a sneaky guy.”

Baekhyun sniffed at him. “I made you carry that box _once_ and you complain about it to every single chance you get.”

“It was one time too many,” Jongdae shot back. “Besides, Minseok needs to know how lazy you really are.”

“I am _not_ ,” Baekhyun sputtered, sounding affronted and embarrassed. “I’m not lazy!”

Jongdae snorted as he began packing his tools back into his medical bag. The atmosphere had changed now, and the heavy air from their conversation a few minutes ago had dissipated, as if they had never spoken about it. “This from the brat who planted slugs in my lunch last year,” he added, before leaning forward to whisper in Minseok’s ear, whispering so softly that Minseok had to strain to hear him-- “No matter what, don’t hurt him, okay?” 

He stood up, one hand already clutching his bag, before he waved and left. Minseok’s eyes followed his movements until he had stepped out of the room, before he finally relaxed.

He wasn’t sure of what to make of the conversation. Jongdae _knew_ that Minseok wasn’t from Earth, and the fact that he hadn’t said a word about it to anyone else made him curious. How had he guessed? And furthermore, he had seemed more worried for Baekhyun being hurt by Minseok’s presence than he was by Minseok’s past.

Next to him, Baekhyun nudged him lightly, interrupting his thoughts. “What did Jongdae say?” he asked curiously. “You looked so serious, it must have been something bad.”

Minseok shook his head, and glanced at Baekhyun. He forced himself to smile slightly. “Nothing important,” he said. Baekhyun pouted, as if he had expected more, and Minseok chuckled this time, his amusement genuine. “By the way, should I be concerned about slugs in my lunch too?”

Crossing his arms, Baekhyun huffed out loud in disgust. “For the record, the slugs weren’t _my_ idea. Some of the kids in the colony were just messing around.” His hand was still on Minseok’s shoulder; a second later, he pulled it away, before speaking again.

“So… what will you do next?” He sounded cautious, although Minseok could see he was trying to act casual. His fingers were tapping against his knee nervously, and he was jiggling his knee up and down. “Are you planning on staying here, in the colony?” He chewed on his lower lip, keeping his eyes on his fingers.

Minseok thought of Jongdae’s words. Of the meaning behind them, the things that he hadn’t said out loud. He had seemed to expect Minseok to stay on, instead of leaving - except that Minseok didn’t know if he could anymore. Now that he had recovered, he could start making plans to leave.

But where would he go? He had studied the maps that he had found in the study. Baekhyun’s ancestors had been very detailed, and while he knew that the terrain would have changed since the maps had been created, it still gave him a rough outlay of the surface of the planet, and more importantly, the valley where the colony was hidden underneath. Nothing to indicate the placement of any other place he could find shelter in.

Was it so bad then, to stay here? Minseok considered his options. Apart from Jongdae’s conversation, he knew that there were some who seemed cautious about his presence, including the colony leader. He had yet to meet Joonmyun, although Baekhyun had told him that he knew about Minseok’s presence.

Perhaps it was time he spoke to the leader and gauged his response. From experience, people listened and followed the actions of the person in charge. Good or bad, they would follow anyway, because that was the nature of all beings. This he had learned at the Academy, in the real world, and from the Tribunal.

“Minseok?” 

He looked over, and saw Baekhyun gazing at him curiously.

“Did you... are you planning on staying?” Baekhyun bit his lower lip again, as if waiting for Minseok’s answer.

After a long moment, Minseok replied. “If you wouldn’t mind having me here-- I’ll… I’ll stay.” He lowered his head, and felt his cheeks growing warm. He had been imposing on Baekhyun for _weeks_ now, and he had been feeling guilty about it for a while.

To his surprise, Baekhyun’s expression melted to one of delight, and he let out a loud whoop as he wrapped his arms around Minseok and pulled him into a tight hug that lasted for a few seconds before releasing Minseok.

Minseok felt lighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He watched as Baekhyun drew his legs up against his chest, his feet planted on the bed, before he excitedly launched into a cheerful recounting of the past years’ harvest festivals. And, as he spoke, his hands moving expressively and his smile lighting up the room, Minseok sat there and listened, surrounded by warmth and comfort for the first time in a long while.


	3. Chapter 3

> _“I remember a time when there was nothing, when the lands were barren and the weather brittle. Winter felt like summer with the winds harsh against our skins, and summer seemed more like winter with the sun hidden behind the smog._
> 
> _The New Lands brought us hope and taught us a powerful lesson: that the natural order of things allowed only the strongest of wills to survive. In return, we celebrate Nature’s gifts to us every year so that She will continue to bless us and shield us from harm.”  
>  _
> 
>     
>     
>     _- **A Mother’s Blessings** , author unknown_

* * *

  


The thin stream of fire left the man’s mouth and rose high above him before forming into a large burst of flames, sending the crowd below applauding and cheering.

The harvest festival was in full swing. Tables had been set up in the centre of the colony square, surrounding the clock tower and laden with food and drinks. Along the streets, men and women displayed the results of their harvest; there were fruits and vegetables in an assortment of colors, or items that had been carved from bamboo or molded from clay. These were exchanged for tokens, which were flat ceramic discs with a symbol of a tree carved on both sides.

Children ran about freely. A shout of laughter rang through the air as a group of traders haggled over their wares. All around the colony square, everyone had shed the plain, sand-colored tunics commonly favored here, in exchange for brighter colors: blues and greens mixed in with the reds and yellows, as festive as the atmosphere.

Minseok rested his weight on the cane, resisting the urge to scratch a growing itch under his arm. The material of the bright red tunic he wore felt coarse against his skin, even though it hung loosely on his body. A wide blue scarf, tied across his waist, completed the look. It was nothing like the stiff white trainee robes at the Academy, nor the ones that he had been fitted for when he achieved his Adept status - made of silk and satin, with velvet trims.

He shook his head, banishing the thoughts immediately. Thinking of home brought down a dark feeling of melancholy which clashed with the colourful and bright atmosphere that he was standing in right now.

Instead, he thumbed the handle of the cane in his hand. The surface was smooth, although the cane was old and weathered; it had once belonged to Baekhyun’s grandfather.

Baekhyun was now standing beside him, talking excitedly as he pointed towards one of the stalls. His hand was on Minseok’s arm, steadying him. Minseok had spent the past two weeks relearning walking once again, and he could not have done it without Baekhyun’s help. For all that Minseok had insisted that he could take care of himself, Baekhyun had been there to guide him, urging him on as he practiced walking on two feet without the hinderance of the cast this time. He could not remember a time when he had allowed someone he barely knew this close to him, but Baekhyun was not a stranger to him now. Not anymore.

Minseok could feel the press of his body against his side, his breath tickling in Minseok’s ear and against his cheek when he spoke. His face grew warm, which he blamed on the heat from the flames.

“Do you want a drink?” Baekhyun asked suddenly, raising his voice to be heard over the growing noise. “Wait here--” he said, and then he was hurrying off before Minseok could stop him, towards one of the tables where a woman in a lively blue dress stood smiling and handing out clay mugs to any who stopped by.

A lively tune filled the air when an elderly man sat by the side of the street, plucking the strings on his musical instrument while another sat next to him, his fingers beating out a rhythm on a small drum on his lap, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Nearby, a group of young women whirled and danced, their shawls flowing behind them as wildly as their hair. One of them caught Minseok’s gaze and winked at him. Feeling flustered, he quickly looked away, only to find himself staring at the face of a young man, perhaps no older than himself, standing next to him.

Minseok blinked in surprise. The man wore a bright yellow tunic with green trim, along with a matching sash draped across his chest. The sash bore the embroidered mark of the same tree he had seen earlier on the tokens.

Suddenly, the man smiled. “You’re Minseok.” He turned to face Minseok, bowing slightly. “I’m Joonmyun, the leader of this colony. I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to meet with you yet, although Baekhyun’s mentioned you many times.”

“I…” Minseok floundered, unsure of what to say. He had been expecting an old man. This was not an old man.

“I’m glad to see that you’re better now,” Joonmyun continued on, as if Minseok hadn’t stammered like a child. “How is the festival so far?”

“It’s… ah. It’s not what I expected,” Minseok replied uncertainly. “But it’s rather interesting.”

“Interesting, you say?” Joonmyun looked thoughtful. “I suppose where you are from, your celebrations are far more festive?”

Minseok almost nodded, then stopped himself. Joonmyun would not know about Xeia. He shook his head instead. “I’m afraid not, Leader--”

Joonmyun chuckled, startling him. “Please, call me Joonmyun. The term ‘Leader’ sounds very stiff. In the old days, my predecessor always said people who relied on titles were like those who relied on masks instead of truth.” His eyes were on Minseok’s face, studying him intently. “Baekhyun says that you don’t remember much about where you were from.”

“Not all of it,” Minseok said, which was a half-truth. There were days when he had to think hard to recall his life before the colony. It had been almost two months, by his rough calculations, since he had been sent away from Xeia. “I remember falling down a hole, and Baekhyun helping me.”

Joonmyun was still smiling, but his eyes had gone sharp. “Not all of it?” He raised his eyebrow. 

“Only enough to know that I was... lucky,” Minseok replied softly. Joonmyun, like Jongdae, made him feel nervous with their line of questioning. Since Jongdae’s comment to him last week, he had not said anything else about Minseok’s origins. Nor had he given any indication that he would. It was as if the conversation had never happened - yet, he would catch Jongdae glancing at him thoughtfully a few times.

Joonmyun looked like he was about to ask him something else when another voice interrupted them.

“Are you trying to scare him off, grandpa?” Jongdae asked as he joined them, holding a mug in one hand. “Minseok. Glad to see you made it. How’s the leg?”

“Ah--it’s gotten a lot better since you took off the cast, Jongdae,” Minseok replied, just as Joonmyun let out a sigh.

“‘ _Grandpa_ ’?” he asked, giving Jongdae a look that seemed a cross between exasperation and defeat. “You’re never going to stop calling me that, are you?”

Jongdae’s response was a smirk. “Not if you keep acting like one. ‘In the old days’, indeed.” He snorted. 

To Minseok’s surprise, Joonmyun actually blushed. He seemed to struggle with his words for a moment, before visibly giving up. “Alright.” Joonmyun looked almost as if he was sulking. He glanced at Minseok. “You have to understand... we’re not used to strangers showing up here unless they’re looking for something. We’ve had a few incidents in the past, and it wasn’t easy dealing with them.”

“I’m not here to cause trouble for anyone,” Minseok responded in a quiet voice. “I’ve been…” he paused, looking down at his leg and hands which were now healed. The scars that remained served as a reminder of his injuries, and how he had gotten them in the first place. “You’ve all done so much for me. Taking me in. _Trusting_ me,” he added, “and I would do anything to repay you all back if I could. Especially Baekhyun.”

Joonmyun’s expression seemed to change, especially when Minseok mentioned Baekhyun’s name. Minseok noticed him exchanging glances with Jongdae, before looking back at Minseok. “Baekhyun vouches for you,” he says. “So does Jongdae. I trust their words when they tell me that you don’t mean to harm us.” He straightened up. “Well, I should be getting back to my duties.” Joonmyun gave him a slight bow before leaving, which Minseok returned, still feeling strange about the encounter.

“That went well,” Jongdae remarked.

“He still doesn’t trust me, does he?” Minseok asked him.

“Not by a mile,” Jongdae replied. “But that’s Joonmyun for you. He’s protective of everyone here, and takes care of us like a parent guarding their child. But he’s a kind person.” Jongdae patted Minseok on the shoulder lightly. “Don’t worry about him. It’s a day of celebration! You should be enjoying yourself.” His smile broadened, almost fox-like as he held up his mug towards Minseok. “Drink?”

“What’s this?” he asked, curious. It was filled with some sort of amber liquid. 

“It’s wine,” Jongdae cut in. “Brings a little _fire_ to the blood,” he added, taking a swig from the mug before letting out a satisfied sound as he glanced over at the group of dancing girls, leering at them a little.

It took Minseok a moment to realize what he meant, and he felt his face turn hot. “Perhaps later,” he said quickly, just as Baekhyun came back from the stall, two ceramic cups in his hands.

“Sorry, there was a long line and then they ran out of mugs,” he said breathlessly to Minseok. “So I went to get us some water instead.” He held one out to Minseok, who took it gratefully..

Jongdae chuckled. “I’ll drop by tomorrow to check on that leg again,” he said, lifting his mug in salute. “Enjoy the festival!” He sauntered off towards the musicians and the dancers.

It took him a while to realize that Baekhyun was watching him quietly. “You all looked so _serious_ for a few moments there,” Baekhyun remarked, laughing softly. “Is everything alright?”

Minseok drained the contents of his cup quickly. The water felt sweet and cool against his dry throat. “Joonmyun said you vouched for me.” 

Baekhyun looked startled for a moment, and then he stared down into his cup. “I… ah. Yes. I did.” His cheeks were flushed slightly, and his fringe fell across his forehead to cover his eyes.

Minseok was struck by an urge to brush his fringe aside, so that he could see Baekhyun’s eyes. He liked the way they always seem so lively, filled with a spark of some sort, especially when Baekhyun was looking at him.

He resisted, however, and spoke instead. “You--” Minseok paused here to take a deep breath before continuing, “You’ve done a lot for me, Baekhyun. I don’t know if I can ever repay you for it, and this probably isn’t enough, but I--I wanted to thank you. For trusting me.” He hadn't thought he would be able to trust anyone again, but Baekhyun changed that. For him. “If there’s anything I can do for you in return, to show my gratitude...” his words trailed off when Baekhyun raised his head suddenly to gaze at him intently.

“You would?” he asked, and Minseok nodded. “ _Anything_?”

Minseok nodded again.

Suddenly, Baekhyun grabbed him by one arm and began to lead him away from the spot that they had been standing at, stopping for a brief moment to hand the cups back to the stall he had brought them from. It took him a while to realize that Baekhyun was guiding him to one of the stalls where the games were being played. “Baekhyun, that’s not what I mea--”

“It’ll be fun, come on!” Baekhyun told him excitedly.

“But my leg,” Minseok said weakly, eyeing the tall, expressionless man who was manning the stall they had stopped in front of.

“So you’re the new guy,” the boy remarked. His voice sounded as bored as he looked. “No legs. Just hands.”

“Sehun means you just need to use your hands to play this game,” Baekhyun explained, when Minseok stared at him in confusion. “Like this--” He picked up one of the balls that had been placed out by the man -- Sehun, Baekhyun had called him -- and carefully held it up. He was peering over the ball. The expression on his face was intense, his eyes narrowed. He looked as if he was focusing on how to aim the ball into the woven basket that had been placed on the table a distance away. 

He threw the ball. A light breeze ruffled Baekhyun’s hair, causing the fringe to fall across his face again, this time distracting him. The ball flew in a graceful arc towards the basket -- and continued on _over_ it, landing somewhere beyond the booth.

Sehun snorted, to Minseok’s surprise. Apparently he _did_ have other expressions. “You suck at this,” he said to Baekhyun, who made a face at him and reached out for another ball.

Two more failed attempts later, with Sehun making more colorful commentary, he looked over at Minseok and grinned. “Your turn,” Baekhyun said brightly.

Minseok took the ball in his hands, his fingers running across the hard surface. It was made from some kind of fibrous material, not unlike the one for his tunic, although this one was coarser. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the feel of it, and the weight that was far less than the ones he was used to on Xeia, before he took careful aim.

Minseok’s shot landed true on the first try, although it did teeter on the edge of the basket before tipping over into it. “It’s been a while,” he admitted, while Baekhyun gaped at him. “I feel like I’m a little rusty.”

“You call that _rusty_?” Baekhyun asked, sounding incredulous.

Minseok laughed. He felt oddly buoyant somehow, although he had turned down the wine that had been offered to him earlier. He picked up another ball and took aim again.

In the end, he scored four more shots in a row, to the delight of the small crowd of colonists that had gathered behind him to watch. The cheers and applause made him blush. On Xeia, it had just been him and Lu Han when they had played, with no spectators, and he still remembered the first time he beat his oath-brother.

Thinking of Lu Han made him think of home. His heart clenched painfully as a wave of regret washed over him. He missed the last shot.

The crowd groaned in unison, and began to disperse when Minseok stepped aside to let the next person take their turn at the game. He glanced at Baekhyun. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

Instead of looking disappointed, Baekhyun was grinning. “You were _amazing_. I’ve never been able to score that many in a row!” He grabbed Minseok’s hand, and pointed towards another stall. “Come on, let’s try something else!”

Swept up by his enthusiasm, Minseok found himself smiling back just as broadly, tightening his fingers within Baekhyun’s grip. A surprised look appeared on Baekhyun’s face as his eyes widened briefly. His cheeks grew pink before he ducked his head, suddenly shy.

He only released Minseok’s hand when they stopped at one of the other stalls. Strangely, Minseok found himself reluctant to let go. 

 

It was late evening by the time the festivities began to wind down. As the colonists began packing up their booths, the others slowly made their way back to their homes. Flowers lay across the streets, dots of colorful patterns strewn over the ground.

Minseok watched from afar, seated on top of a large boulder resting against the wall of the cavern. Baekhyun had suggested this place, away from the noise and the crowd. It had taken them a while to walk through the colony to get to it, but with Baekhyun’s help, he managed to climb onto the boulder without any mishap.

Right now, Baekhyun was pointing out several long buildings in the distance. “Greenhouses,” he explained, when Minseok asked him what they were. “Since we’re underground, the crops need sunlight in order to grow, so we had to create enough light that resembled that.” He went on to explain how it was his great-grandfather’s idea to create these greenhouses for the crops, going as far as to building a machine that would provide light for them.

“A machine?” Minseok gave him a curious look. Since he had been here, he hadn’t seen any indication of advanced machinery being used. “How does it work?”

Baekhyun rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. “I don’t know, to be honest. My father might have known, but I didn’t… I didn’t really pay attention to his lessons.” He grimaced. “Jongdae might be able to tell you, though. He’s the one in charge of the machine now.”

“Jongdae?” Minseok raised his eyebrow. “Isn’t he the colony’s doctor?”

“He’s sort of everything here,” Baekhyun said. “He was a doctor at first, but when my family was gone, he was the only other person who could understand how to work the machine.” The pain expression on his face was clear. “You’re probably wondering what happened to them, right?” he asked quietly. “I know you asked before, but I didn’t tell you why.”

“You don’t have to,” Minseok told him gently.

Baekhyun shook his head. “It’s alright. I need to let you know anyway. Especially if you’re going to be staying with me… ah.. I mean here, with us.” He took a deep breath, before relating the story.

His parents had been in the tunnels, on their way back from the Outside, along with a contingent of other people from their colony, when an earthquake had struck. A few of the buildings around the square had collapsed, while some of the crops had been destroyed by falling rocks. The worst part had been when they discovered that half of the tunnels had been sealed shut, including the ones that the contingent had been using.

It had taken them days to dig them out, and there were very little survivors from the contingent. Baekhyun’s family had been lost, leaving only him and his grandfather behind. The elderly man had been heartbroken, and he had followed his wife a year later.

“It was really hard at first, and if it weren’t for Joonmyun being there for me, I might have gone crazy.” He sighed. “A decade isn’t long enough to get over it. I miss them a lot.” He looked at Minseok. 

Minseok said nothing, but his hand found Baekhyun’s and squeezed it once, trying to convey his sympathies. Baekhyun gave him a sad smile.

“I’m okay,” he said, his voice sounding a little steadier than before. He didn’t let go of Minseok’s hand, however. “You know what my grandmother told me once? I used to be afraid of the dark. But she said.... she said that as long as there’s one light that still shines in this colony, I should never have to fear the dark.” He looked out towards the direction of the clock tower, where it stood tall over the surrounding buildings, the light from the flames that flickered from the top casting a soft warm glow over the colony. “When I look at that light, it reminds me that I’m still alive. And I’m thankful for that.”

They sat in silence. Minseok thought of his family. How were they faring now? Did his parents miss him? Had his sister finally woken up, and looked out towards the stars and remembered who her brother was? He instinctively reached up with his other hand to press his fingers against his chest, feeling the charm that had belonged to her. The cold comforted him, a little.

“Why do you do that?” Baekhyun asked. Minseok gave a start, looking at him. “You’re always touching your chest.” He tilted his head in curiosity.

For a moment, Minseok hesitated. Then again, he decided that it wouldn’t hurt to show him the charm. He released Baekhyun’s hand and adjusted the collar of his tunic, reaching in and pulling out the charm that was attached to a leather cord.

Baekhyun’s face lit up. “Can I… can I see that?”

Minseok nodded, and removed it from around his neck, placing the charm onto Baekhyun’s open palm. He studied it for a few long seconds, humming to himself.

“It’s pretty,” Baekhyun said, finally. He gave Minseok a soft smile. “Is it from someone special?” His voice was light, but Minseok could see the hesitant look in his eyes.

“My sister,” Minseok replied. That much, he could tell Baekhyun. Not where he was from, and why. “It was hers.”

“ _Oh_.” There was a note of relief in that single word. “What does it do?”

“It’s for luck,” Minseok said. His heart twisted in pain. His sister’s ability had been unique, but it hadn’t been strong enough to protect her, nor him.

“Does it work?”

Minseok thought of the series of events that had led him here. He smiled, feeling . “Yes.”

“Maybe I should borrow it.” Baekhyun’s smile was impish. “Take it with me to the games booths next year, so I can win.” 

Minseok felt his own smile slip a little. He hadn’t thought as far as next year yet. He wasn’t sure if he would still be here.

Baekhyun was still admiring the charm, oblivious to Minseok’s silence. He struggled to find something to say, and going the first thing that came to mind. “Maybe,” Minseok replied. “But then how would I win?”

Baekhyun laughed, looking surprised. “Fine. Here, you can keep it instead,” he said, handing the charm back to Minseok. He carefully pulled it over his head, tucking it back under his tunic once more.

As he listened to Baekhyun talk, Minseok’s mood returning back to his usual cheerful self, Minseok found himself growing distracted by his thoughts. As much as he had been growing fond of Baekhyun, who seemed to be filled with endless energy and cheer that pulled Minseok out of his melancholy, he did not fit here. Nothing could ever change that. Eventually, he knew, he would have to leave.

Minseok felt the twinge of pain in his chest. Not for the first time, he wished that he could go back to the way things were. Before he had learnt what it was like to hold another man’s life in his hands.

Before he learnt, truly, what loneliness felt like.

 

The surface was full of skeletons. 

Not the sort that had their organic masses stripped from them; but the sort made of steel and iron. Carcasses of monumental size, large and looming, void of any telltale marks or shapes that provide a hint of their origins, lay scattered across the plains as far as Minseok’s eyes could see, half-hidden behind the smog.

Next to him Baekhyun lay back against the rocky wall, his arms crossed behind his head. More than a week had passed since the harvest festival. Minseok had spent every single day walking through the colony, learning the roads and people while Baekhyun was at his store. He no longer needed the cane now.

It had been Baekhyun’s idea to come up here. Minseok had been skeptical at first, since being out here meant being on the Outside, but Baekhyun had insisted that it was safe. He knew the tunnels well, even the ones that none of the other colonists knew about. These tunnels, he had explained, did not lead to the surface, but further up. Minseok hadn’t understood until he had stepped onto a wide ledge protruding from one of the mountains that stood above ground.

Up here, the air was thinner, but breathable. Minseok inhaled, letting it out slowly. “How far does this go?”

Baekhyun looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ve heard of places where all of this stretches out for miles. There aren’t any marks or specific shapes - just twisted pieces of junk and metal.” Minseok stared at a lump of _something_ in the distance, its vines wrapped around a giant rock formation like a tentacled creature. “Some of the colonies were once built within them, but they offered little to no protection against the storms.”

“Storms?” Minseok glanced at him.

“Not the good kind. They burn through everything organic, which is why nothing can grow out here.” Baekhyun grimaced.

Minseok’s professor at the Academy had said that Earth was once a beautiful place - perhaps not as majestic as the other planets in their system - but it had been a planet filled with tens of thousands of other species. It had seemed unbelievable, the first time he had heard about its destruction - but looking at the remains below, it was easy to believe it now.

“Where did they come from?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “There were a lot of things that were left behind from the Old World, good and bad. My great-grandfather wrote about some of them in his journal.” He laughed. “Did you know there were these constructs they called ‘planes’? They could fly across the skies within a few minutes.” He shook his head chuckling. “Sometimes I think he was just writing stories just to amuse himself.”

“There’s always some truth in stories,” Minseok remarked, and Baekhyun laughed softly.

“That’s what father used to say too. He kept his own journals, but he said they didn’t seem as interesting as what great-grandfather had written.”

“What about you?” Minseok asked. “Any journals of your own?”

Baekhyun chuckled. “I’m a terrible scholar. Sooyoung used to complain that I had too much energy as a kid. I tried writing once, but that was many years ago, and there wasn’t much to say.” He grinned at Minseok. “I have something for you, by the way.” He opened the small bag that he had carried up to the ledge with him, untying the drawstrings and reaching inside.

“Another lightstone?” Minseok asked. That was what Baekhyun had called the first one that he had given Minseok weeks ago.

Baekhyun merely grinned. He pulled out an odd-looking pendant.

“What is it?”

“It belonged to my great-grandfather. He wrote in one of his journal entries that it was a gift from his brother back home, but he couldn’t wear it. It wasn’t his to own, he said.” Baekhyun shrugged. “It’s been in the family for a long time, and - ah-- I want you to have it.” He held out the pendant towards Minseok shyly.

“Baekhyun, I can’t accept it,” Minseok said. “That’s…” His voice trailed off. A family heirloom, and Baekhyun was giving it away, just like that! “If it belonged to your great-grandfather, then shouldn’t it stay with the family? With you?”

“You’re here, aren’t you?” Baekhyun’s smile returned. “I mean, you’ve been staying with me. Having you around feels like you’re part of the family, you know?” His voice grew thick. “Minseok, I want _you_ to have it. Please.”

Minseok felt his breath catch. He hadn’t thought that Baekhyun would come to think of him that way - but then again, he remembered his conversation with Jongdae, weeks ago. About Baekhyun’s naivety, the way he trusted too easily. For a moment, he considered rejecting the gift, but then Jongdae’s words came, unbidden, to his mind. _No matter what, don’t hurt him._

He held his hand out, accepting the gift. Baekhyun’s expression turned to one of relief instantly; he let out his breath, grinning at Minseok. He looked _happy_. Minseok couldn’t imagine hurting him, taking that smile away from him.

He studied the pendant in his palm. It seemed to be made of glass. It was pale blue, with veins that snaked across the surface. It reminded him of something, but he couldn’t quite place it. Oddly, it felt cool in his hand, almost like ice. It was probably because of the temperature up here, he thought.

There was a small ring attached to it, meant to hang the pendant from a chain of some sort. He didn’t have a chain, but he did have his sister’s charm, along with the leather cord that held it. He pulled it out of his tunic and untied the cord, looping the ends through the ring. Securing the cord again tightly, Minseok slipped it back over his head and let it hang loose, next to the charm. 

“Thank you,” he said, to Baekhyun. Two gifts, now, and Minseok still had nothing to offer him in return. He owed Baekhyun so much. “This… means a lot. To me.” Baekhyun’s cheeks were still red, he noticed, but his eyes were shining brightly, his face turned up towards Minseok, and in that moment, Minseok couldn’t help but think how beautiful he was.

He leaned forward, and kissed Baekhyun.

 

****

* * *

Miles away from the planet, a small cruiser flew steadily through space. It was called the _Skylark_. While she was a dainty-looking thing compared to the other ships that she was normally docked next to at the spaceport, she packed enough power to go up against a Class-M battleship. Not that her owner had ever tried going up against a battleship, however, since he preferred finding other ways of avoiding messy space battles, unless there was something to be gained.

Lu Han resisted the urge to yawn. They had been flying for a few weeks now. The mission was critical, and he had briefed his crew carefully about it, stressing the need for complete secrecy.

“How close are we, Jongin?” he asked one of the crew members, who had not bothered to hide his own sleepy state. They were all tired from running on double shifts. He made a mental note to request for shore leave once this was all over.

“Two days away, Captain,” Jongin replied.

Anything could happen in two days. “Increase the speed to maximum, Jongin. I want to be there in less than that.”

Jongin hesitated, for a moment. “Captain,” he began, “If we increase our speed, we could overload the engines.”

“Near-maximum, then.” Lu Han knew his ship better than anything else. “She can take the heat.”

As the ship began to pick up speed, Lu Han slumped back in his seat. Soon enough, they would reach Earth - where Lu Han would begin his hunt for a very old friend.

 

****

* * *

He could sense him. He was there, always there, somewhere within him. Sometimes he spoke to him in riddles, sometimes he would ignore him.

He took a deep breath. His lungs burned, but he had grown accustomed to the feeling. Two months of surviving in this version of Hell, and he had learnt to overcome the conditions.

A promise. _They_ had promised him. They had released his bonds, and he had waited, while the others thought him weak, shielded. 

_There_. Again. That brief throb, like a heartbeat. Except it wasn’t a heartbeat, but a voice, that whispered like a caress across his mind.

 _Hello_ , it said. _Do you want to play a game?_


	4. Chapter 4

> _“She stood beautiful and fearless against the crowd, her voice quiet but firm against the sounds of dissent - and in that moment, I knew that I had found my soulmate.”  
>  _
> 
>     
>     
>     _\- Journal entry by Byun Kihyun_

* * *

  


Baekhyun stirred awake. 

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes. For a moment, he felt a brief flash of panic at the unfamiliar sight above him. Stretched high above him, instead of the rocky ceiling he was accustomed to, the open sky was filled with stars, bright against the dark veil. The feeling passed, and then he remembered that he had brought Minseok up here, onto the ledge outside the mountain. He must have fallen asleep.

He wasn’t the only one to have done so, Baekhyun noticed, as he began to feel the weight of someone’s arm across his waist. He tilted his head towards his left, and found Minseok curled up next to him, fast asleep.

Carefully, Baekhyun shifted his body until he lay face to face with Minseok. He studied Minseok’s face for a while, watching as he breathed steadily. His eyes landed on Minseok’s lips, and Baekhyun blushed, remembering the kiss. It was just a soft chaste brush against his mouth, nothing more – to thank him, Minseok had said - but the act had befuddled Baekhyun completely. He hadn’t _expected_ it at all.

He lifted his hand, tracing the spot where Minseok’s lips had touched. His heart fluttered a little. He wished that he hadn’t just sat there, gaping like an idiot as Minseok pulled back. By the time Baekhyun had come to his senses, Minseok had turned to face away from him, looking out towards the plains once more.

The warmth from Minseok’s body was like a furnace in the unusually cold air. Even the ground they lay on felt _cold_ , and Baekhyun shifted slightly, intending to move away from the spot - but by some unspoken instinct, Minseok tightened his grip around his waist, pulling him closer against his chest.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened, and he held his breath. Minseok seemed to be still asleep, soft exhalations escaping his nose and mouth. For a moment, Baekhyun wondered what it would be like to feel Minseok’s lips against his again.

Perhaps, if he did it very quietly….his heart was pounding loudly in his ears, and his lips felt dry, suddenly. He parted his lips, wetting them with his tongue, and leaned in--

Minseok shifted against him, and yawned, startling him.

Quickly, Baekhyun pulled back, blushing furiously. He attempted to move away, to add more space between them, but Minseok was still holding onto him, his grip firm and strong. 

A second later, Minseok’s eyelids begin to flutter open. His gaze, still heavy with sleep, landed on at Baekhyun. “Oh,” he said.

“Um,” was all Baekhyun could say. He tried hard not to squeak in panic.

A few moments later, Minseok added, with a note of apology in his voice, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” His voice sounded a little deep, perhaps from having just woken up, but it sent a thrill down Baekhyun’s spine.

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun responded just as quietly. His heart was still beating loudly, and he was sure Minseok could hear it too. “I fell asleep too.”

The ends of Minseok’s mouth tugged up a little. “I know.” His hand was resting on Baekhyun’s hip now, his thumb moving around in slow circles. The heat seemed to seep through his clothing, branding itself onto Baekhyun’s skin. “Didn’t want to wake you up. You seemed… you seemed really comfortable.” The smile faded a little as his gaze lowered, landing on Baekhyun’s lips.

Drawn by some strange instinct, Baekhyun leaned in closer - just before he caught a glimpse over Minseok’s shoulder: the small, faint glow of the rising sun at the edge of the horizon.

“Oh _no_ ,” he uttered in dismay. “It’s nearly dawn.” He scrambled to his feet, almost slipping on a small patch of ice. “I have to open the store in a few hours.” His cheeks felt hot, as he realized what had nearly happened. “Minseok--”

Minseok’s hand was warm on his arm. “Later,” he said gently, although there was a look in his eyes, filled with the kind of heat that made Baekhyun’s breath hitch a little. He nearly slipped on a patch of ice, distracted.

It took them half the amount of time to reach Baekhyun’s doorstep than it had taken them to reach the ledge, thanks to a tunnel that Baekhyun had found when he was younger that led right to the back of the colony, where the homes were. They stood in front of his door, trying to catch their breaths, when Baekhyun - still giddy from the mad rush through the colony - let out a sudden giggle.

Minseok’s eyes widened. “Shhh,” he said urgently, looking back up at the corridor in case anyone was walking by.

Baekhyun giggled again before he hurriedly clamped his hands over his mouth.

Once they were inside, with the door closed behind them, Baekhyun dropped his hands and started to laugh. “Your face!” he burst out, still snickering. “You looked-- you looked like you were about to pass out--”

Minseok kissed him.

The words melted away. Minseok’s lips were warm against his, his hands resting gently on Baekhyun’s shoulders. It wasn’t the kind of kiss that Baekhyun had been hoping for; it was light and chaste, almost hesitant - but it still sent his heart racing as his fingers found their way to Minseok’s wrists, wrapping around them as if he was holding on.

After what seemed like an eternity, Minseok released him, pulling away from their kiss - but his hands were now sliding up to cup the sides of Baekhyun’s face. He looked dazed, and his eyes kept flicking from Baekhyun’s lips to his eyes, and he wet his lips. “Is this… it this okay?” he whispered.

Baekhyun nodded, not trusting himself to speak, and leaned down as Minseok tilted his head up, letting their lips meet again. This time, there was nothing hesitant about the kiss. Baekhyun clung onto Minseok eagerly, his hands rubbing up and down Minseok’s arms and across his chest, while their lips slid against each other, hot and wet and _desperate_.

Somehow, they found their way to Baekhyun’s room, tumbling onto his bed. Baekhyun let himself be pushed down, his back pressed against the sheets as Minseok straddled his hips. His lips were back on Baekhyun’s mouth, and Baekhyun parted his lips eagerly, letting Minseok’s tongue slide against the edge of his lips before he flicked his own tongue against it playfully. In response, Minseok pressed down on him, harder, covered his body with his own, and pushed his tongue into his mouth to lick hot and wet inside it.

Moaning, Baekhyun tried to assert some semblance of control but while he had the advantage of height, Minseok had more upper body strength. He held Baekhyun down firmly, his hands pinning Baekhyun’s wrists against the mattress, grinding their hips together and sending a groan tumbling out of Baekhyun’s mouth.

They broke off their kiss long enough to attempt to remove their clothes. Baekhyun sat up on the bed, struggling to pull his tunic off. When he succeeded, flinging it onto the floor, he looked up to find that Minseok was already naked. He was standing in front of the bed, his cock flushed and hard against his belly, breathing heavily as he gazed unabashedly at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun kicked off the rest of his clothes hurriedly just as Minseok climbed back onto the bed, capturing his lips with his own once again. Minseok’s touches were like fire against his skin, his fingers sliding down to rest on his hips. He trailed his lips along Baekhyun’s neck before moving downwards, pressing soft kisses along the way, pausing to wrap his lips around one of Baekhyun’s nipples.

Baekhyun gasped, unable to stop himself as he felt Minseok’s tongue flicking against the bud, caressing it until it was hard, before he moved onto the other nipple. Minseok took his time, sucking and kissing until Baekhyun felt his voice grow hoarse, before he pulled back, looking satisfied.

“You’re beautiful,” he heard Minseok say, and Baekhyun wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that it was _Minseok_ who was beautiful, but the words were instantly forgotten, lost in the sudden cry that emitted from his lips as something warm and wet pressed against the tip of his cock.

“Minseok--” he breathed out, and then he found himself lost to the feeling of Minseok’s mouth on him, slick and hot and driving him insane with need. He writhed against the mattress, wanting more, his hips jerking every time he felt Minseok’s tongue against his skin, pushing his cock deeper into Minseok’s mouth.

Minseok pulled off suddenly, and Baekhyun opened his eyes - when had he closed them? he wondered - to find him gazing down at Baekhyun, his hair mussed and his lips red and swollen. There was a hunger in Minseok’s gaze that made Baekhyun’s breath hitch, before he spoke. “Do you… do you have anything that i can use as slick? Oil, or something that will make this… easier?”

It took Baekhyun a moment, and then he blushed, realizing what lay behind Minseok’s words. “I-- uh-- I might have something,” he said. Minseok climbed off him as Baekhyun rolled over to one side, reaching for the small bottle of oil that he kept by his bedside for his own use. Baekhyun passed it to Minseok, still blushing.

Minseok gave him a knowing look, but said nothing as he removed the stopper on the bottle, pouring the liquid onto his palm. He guided Baekhyun to move onto his hands and feet, pressing soft kisses against Baekhyun’s back as he rubbed gentle circles around the edge of Baekhyun’s entrance. “Tell me if I’m hurting you,” he heard, and then he felt Minseok’s finger pushing in slowly.

Baekhyun had explored his own body before, but Minseok’s touches made it an entirely new experience for him. He took his time, sliding his finger in slowly, while Baekhyun breathed and tried not to clench down. Minseok stopped briefly, and Baekhyun felt the cool drip of oil being poured onto his entrance. When Minseok added another finger, his breath stuttered, and he let out a soft moan as Minseok began to push both fingers in now, pushing them deeper and probing against his walls, as if searching for something--

“ _Ah_ \--” Baekhyun choked out, overwhelmed. He heard Minseok’s voice, trying to soothe him, but he couldn’t make out the words - not when he could feel the tips of Minseok’s fingers pressing against the same spot once more. He whimpered again, the sound growing louder in his ears. When Minseok added another finger - Baekhyun moaned long and loud. It was more than he had ever thought possible and yet he couldn’t help wanting _more_ , wishing that Minseok would give him more--

“Soon,” Minseok responded, and Baekhyun realized he had said the last part out loud. Minseok’s voice sounded ragged, as if he himself was holding back too.

Minseok kissed his neck once more, and pulled his fingers out slowly before guiding Baekhyun onto his back. He opened his eyes and found himself looking up at Minseok, and his breath caught in his throat. The look on Minseok’s face was filled with such naked want and tenderness as he gazed back down at Baekhyun. Baekhyun reached up with his fingers hesitantly, touching his lips, caressing his cheeks. He watched as Minseok took his hand, kissing the tips, before tangling their fingers together and bending down to brush his lips against Baekhyun’s.

“Tell me if this is too much for you,” he breathed against Baekhyun’s mouth. “Tell me if you want to stop, and I will--”

Baekhyun answered with a kiss of his own, deep and passionate. A moment later, he felt his hips being raised slightly, just as his legs were pushed back against his chest, and Minseok pressed his cock against his entrance.

He let out a pained sound - _gods_ , he didn’t expect this--

“Breathe,” he heard Minseok’s voice, a soothing balm in his ears, and he did, sucking the air through his nose and releasing it through his lips shakingly as Minseok continued to slide inside him, filling him up slowly.

Baekhyun closed his eyes, trying to breath steadily through the stretch. Cool fingers brushed his hair from his forehead; he could feel Minseok’s breath against his as he leaned down to brush his lips against it. “Relax,” Baekhyun heard. He tried, and willed himself to relax, remembering to breathe as Minseok continued to card his fingers through his hair gently.

The pain faded, and he opened his eyes to find Minseok looking down at him with a worried expression on his face. “I’m sorry,” Baekhyun whispered, his eyes wet from the tears that had somehow gathered. “I’m sorry, I want you-- I want you so much--”

“It’s alright,” Minseok told him. “Do you want me to stop?”

Baekhyun bit his lower lip. His cock had wilted slightly, but he could still feel the low, simmering heat within him. He wanted Minseok. That, he was certain.

He shook his head.

“Okay,” Minseok kissed his forehead again. “But, let’s take care of this first.” He removed his hand from where he had been stroking Baekhyun’s hair, and slid it down between them to wrap his fingers around Baekhyun’s cock.

Baekhyun let out a gasp at the sudden touch. A pleased look crossed Minseok’s face as he began to stroke his cock back to life, while Baekhyun’s head fell back against the bed, his mouth half-opened, tiny mewls escaping from his lips. Without pausing, he shifted back, pulling his cock out midway before moving forward again, filling Baekhyun up once more.

Minseok’s movements were slow and agonizing at first, but when he shifted his hips, his cock brushed against the same spot that his fingers had found earlier.

Baekhyun _wailed_.

Minseok picked up the pace, the speed of his hips increasing until he was slamming deep into Baekhyun. The air was filled with the slick sounds of oil and loud smacks of skin against skin. Minseok, Minseok, _Minseok_ , Baekhyun cried until he was hoarse, the words falling from his lips like a litany, punctuated by Minseok’s own grunts of effort as he buried his face in Baekhyun’s neck, whispering Baekhyun’s name between thrusts, his voice sliding between the cracks of his mind and heart and settling there. His world was filled nothing but _Minseok_ , the sensation like nothing he had experienced before. He never imagined that it would feel like this, and he felt as if he was soaring, his body completely given over to Minseok--

His world went white. Light, blinding and bright, filled his vision, and he came, _hard_ , untouched, streaking white across his belly. He felt Minseok’s pace quicken, his hands landing on Baekhyun’s hips and gripping them firmly as he drove his cock into Baekhyun, once, twice - before he thrusted one last time, shuddering a little as he held his position, spilling hot and wet inside Baekhyun.

Several seconds later, he leaned back, looking down at Baekhyun. His hair was sweat-soaked and clinging to the sides of his face and forehead, but he was _smiling_ with so much tenderness and affection. In that moment, Baekhyun felt his heart race, and he wondered if this was what it was to be in love.

Minseok pulled out, slowly, and Baekhyun whined, trying to tug him back. He made a face a second later however when he felt Minseok’s seed leaking down his thighs. Minseok chuckled, before clambering out of bed to reach for the towel.

Once they were cleaned up, Minseok lay on the bed next to him. He reached up with one hand to caress Baekhyun’s cheek, the expression on his face changing to one of fondness. “It wasn’t just you,” he said. “I wanted it too. I wanted _you_.” He leaned down, brushing his lips against Baekhyun’s. The kiss lingered, slow and unhurried, now that they were spent.

Suddenly, Baekhyun broke their kiss, letting out a sudden yawn. When he glanced back at Minseok, he saw that the man was looking at him in amusement. “Sorry,” Baekhyun said, his face flushed with embarrassment.

“You should get some sleep,” Minseok told him gently. “There’s still your shop to tend to in a few hours.”

“I’m not sleepy,” Baekhyun protested. Another yawn escaped him.

Minseok laughed softly this time, and kissed him on the forehead. “Rest first.” Baekhyun grumbled at first, but soon his eyes began to grow heavy, his words fading away.

Between one breath and the next, Baekhyun fell asleep.

 

****

* * *

The mechanical contraption looked nothing less like a crudely put together drawing, perhaps made by a child. Minseok eyed it apprehensively. “Are you sure it works?”

Jongdae gave him an offended look. “ _‘Lady’_ works perfectly _fine_ ,” he retorted.

Minseok’s eyebrow rose higher. “You named your machine... ‘Lady’.” Next to him, he could hear Baekhyun’s snicker.

Sniffing in disdain, Jongdae crossed his arms. “She’s a sophisticated machine that powers the greenhouses and half the farming sector in the colony.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Baekhyun told Minseok. “He’s just bitter because he’s not exactly lucky with the ladies, so he has to make do with what’s available.” Minseok coughed loudly to hide his laughter behind his hand, just as Jongdae let out a string of curses, all directed at Baekhyun.

Minseok watched in amusement. His eyes trailed down towards Baekhyun’s lips, which were pursed up, pouting. He resisted the urge to lean in, just to kiss it away. 

He had been thinking a lot of about kissing Baekhyun today. It had been only a day since they had slept together. When Minseok had woken up in Baekhyun’s room, with Baekhyun curled up against him, he had spent some time retracing the shape of Baekhyun’s lips as he slept peacefully. When Baekhyun had opened his eyes, sleepily blinking at him, Minseok had leaned in to kiss him again - and it had led to another round of activities which involved Minseok discovering how flexible Baekhyun was.

He cleared his throat hurriedly, trying to banish his filthy thoughts. It wouldn’t do to be distracted by them - he was a grown man, not a lovestruck fool--

Minseok cleared his throat again, louder this time, and stepped in to interrupt the childish bickering between the other two. “Jongdae, you said you needed Baekhyun’s help?” he asked. Baekhyun crossed his arms, ready with a retort, and Minseok placed a hand over his mouth to keep him from interrupting.

Jongdae gave him a pained look. “As much as it hurts me to say it, but yes, I do need his help.”

“ _Hah_ ,” Baekhyun managed to say, although with Minseok’s hand blocking his words, it came out as a muffled -- “ _Hrrff_.” Minseok stepped on his foot lightly to keep him to saying anymore.

Jongdae gave him another glare, and continued on. He had been thinking of making some modifications to the machine, hoping to replicate it in order to power the rest of the colony. Because it was unstable, it was only switched on for a short period of time to light the greenhouses, and powered down every few hours for a while. He hoped to create something that didn’t need to be switched off.

This was the reason he had approached Baekhyun. His great-grandfather had built this machine, after all. Was there a way to understand the internal workings of the machine? Did Baekhyun’s great-grandfather leave any clues or hints as to how it worked inside?

Baekhyun looked thoughtful. “I’ve read through some of his journals, but there’s no mention of it.” He shrugged. “I haven’t read all of them. He kept so many journals over the years; some of the entries had already faded by the time I started reading them.”

Jongdae looked disappointed. Minseok thought back to the journals that he had read. “I might be able to look through the rest of them,” he suggested. “Perhaps we’ll find something there.” His suggestion was met with skepticism, but after a few moments, Jongdae agreed.

Some time later, when they had left Jongdae’s workshop and was walking along the streets aimlessly, Minseok glanced at Baekhyun. “What do you think of Jongdae’s idea?” he asked. “Do you think it would work?”

“It’s possible,” Baekhyun replied. “Although I was thinking. Do you remember the lightstone I made for you?” Minseok nodded. “I’ve been trying to make it bigger, this time. If I can figure out how to contain it, Jongdae might not even need to build his machines.”

“That might work.” Minseok gave him a curious look. “You’ve never actually explained how you made them, though.”

Baekhyun looked startled. “Oh. I--ah. I…” He stopped, briefly, and rubbed the back of his neck, wincing. “It’s a little hard to explain. You see, I--”

Suddenly a shiver ran through his body, and Minseok gasped. He couldn’t breathe, suddenly. He didn’t know what was happening - he had never felt like this before. It felt like _ice_ , but instead of freezing him, it burned him instead, a searing pain not unlike the moment when he had stood in the Hall, facing--

Instinctively, he reached up to press his hand against his chest. He felt ice melt away, and then Minseok found that he could breathe again.

“Minseok?” He looked up, and found Baekhyun staring at him with a worried expression on his face. “Minseok, what’s wrong?”

“Just… a cold.” He straightened up; somehow he had ended up crouched on the ground in those few moments that had occurred. “I’m okay now.”

“Should I get Jongdae--”

He shook his head. “It’s… it’s fine. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

“Maybe you should go back and rest,” Baekhyun suggested worriedly.

“That’s a good idea,” he said, and to lighten the mood, he added, “I didn’t get enough sleep last night, after all. Someone was a little…. enthusiastic.”

“Well, I--I wasn’t the only one,” Baekhyun grumbled, although his cheeks were bright pink. “For your information, I had to stand all day at the shop yesterday. I couldn’t even _sit_ for more than a few seconds.” His face was flaming by the time he was done speaking.

Minseok winced, feeling guilty. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said softly. “I’ve never been this way before, but around you, it feels different. I feel--” he paused, trying to search for the right words, before continuing, “I feel _happy_.”

He saw the way Baekhyun’s eyes widened, his cheeks turning red at his words. For a long moment he said nothing, merely blinking at Minseok.

Minseok reached out to cup one side of Baekhyun’s face, his thumb stroking the top of his cheek slowly. “Don’t tell me I’ve finally made you speechless,” he teased.

Baekhyun gave a start, and he reached up to pull Minseok’s hand away. “I wasn’t _speechless_ , just -- ah-- you know. Thinking.” He still held onto Minseok’s hand, playing with his fingers.

“Thinking?” Minseok asked, smiling now. “What about?”

An impish look crossed Baekhyun’s face. “I was thinking of _Jongdae_ ,” he said cheerfully, and Minseok reached up with his other hand to tweak his nose - lightly, of course - in annoyance at the bad joke. He was about to make a remark when someone came hurrying up to Baekhyun to speak to him about his lamps.

Minseok stepped back quietly to allow them to talk. A minute later, Baekhyun called him over. “Some of the lamps in one of the buildings ran out, so I have to make a quick delivery,” he said, looking apologetic. “But I need to go back to the store to get my supplies first--”

“I can go back on my own,” Minseok told him. He spied the anxious-looking customer out of the corner of his eye. “Go on,” he added, reassuringly, to Baekhyun. “I’ll be fine.”

Baekhyun looked torn for a moment, and then he nodded. He turned to leave, following the other colonist, but then turned around and strode back to Minseok a moment later, leaning down to kiss Minseok on the lips quickly, before hurrying off.

Minseok watched as Baekhyun disappeared down the streets. His face felt warm, and he lifted his hands to touch his lips gently. Smiling, he made his way home.

As he walked along the streets, he thought of Jongdae’s machine. At first, he had hoped that it would be what would help him get off this planet, but looking at it, he had felt disappointed. It was no taller than him, and was made up of such a mess of wires and metal that it seemed impossible to tell where anything began. 

He frowned, remembering the way his body had felt earlier. The burning cold that had struck him. He had almost forgotten about it. Now, alone with his thoughts, he pondered over what had happened.

He had all but stopped trying to regain his ability now. It wasn’t as if he had given up - merely that he had been busy. At least, that was what he told himself. Could it be that his ability was returning? He had felt no trace of it at all, and what he had experienced today was the opposite of what he should have felt. But it should have been impossible -- _they_ had said that it was impossible.

He stopped, and realizing that he had reached home. Somehow, while he had been deep in thought, his feet had automatically brought him back here.

A thought struck him, as he pushed aside the doors to enter. _Home_. Since when had he come to think of this place as home? Home should have been Xeia - but lately, Xeia felt almost like a distant memory, a part of his past. 

He felt himself at crossroads, torn between his yearning to return home and the attachment that he felt for the colony and the people here. Not to mention his growing attraction towards Baekhyun.

Deep in thought, he stepped over the threshold.

“So this was where you’ve been hiding,” a familiar voice spoke up suddenly. “I have to say, you sure look lively for someone who’s supposed to be _dead_.”

Minseok looked up, shocked. “Lu Han,” he uttered, the words already out of his mouth before his eyes landed on a familiar face that he thought he would never see again.


	5. Chapter 5

> _“What is the first rule of the Adept? Consider our beginnings, for a moment; a single microscopic protoplasma that mattered very little on the evolutionary scale. It took us eons; changing, converging and multiplying and self-annihilating ourselves to create a multitude of species across the universe, before reaching the next step of evolution that placed us on the same state of being not unlike the Gods themselves._
> 
> _But remember, as you will, the first rule: We are not Gods.”  
>  _
> 
>     
>     
>     _\- Kolar Varana, Fifth Ranking Adept and philosopher, House Kolar_

* * *

  


Minseok had always looked up to Lu Han when they were younger, even though he was older by a whole month. It was Lu Han who had helped Minseok when he was struggling to navigate the social circles in the Academy, and it was Lu Han who had, one night when they were drunk on stolen wine and lounging under the twin moons that hung in the sky over Xeia, told Minseok that he would have to return home to Mivari after graduation to lead his father’s army. He hadn’t been happy about it, but his duties came first, over his dreams of exploring the universe.

The next day, they had been shipped off to different outposts to serve their apprenticeships before graduation, and that was the last time Minseok had seen his friend before the Academy was attacked.

The man who stood in front of him looked nothing like the Lu Han that Minseok remembered. Instead of the slouch of an eighteen year old trainee, he bore the stance of a fighter. Gone were the easy smile and twinkling eyes, replaced by hard lines. And if that wasn’t enough, Minseok realized in dismay, he carried a weapons holster strapped against his thigh, the markings on the leather straps indicating what he was.

It became clear that Lu Han had chosen a different path in the end.

“You’re a mercenary now,” Minseok blurted out.

“Bounty hunter, actually,” Lu Han corrected him. “Although, technically I’m sort of a freelancer at the moment.”

“But… _how?_ ” He thought Lu Han had gone back to his homeworld. Relations had been terse between Mivari and Xeia after that, and Minseok had not dared contact his friend lest he be branded a traitor. 

“It’s been six years, Minseok,” Lu Han said quietly. “I’m not the same guileless boy with unrealistic dreams.” He looked sombre. “When news of the attack came, we were told that it was led by Mivarian forces. _My homeworld_. I was sure that there must have been a mistake, and the leader of the outpost agreed with me - but the others there… they were convinced. Took me for a traitor. I had to leave before a riot started, and made it off the outpost on a cargo transport headed to the next system. I ended up as a bounty hunter for the Bolman Syndicate. They didn’t ask any questions about who I was, as long as I delivered my contracts.” He sighed. “Later, I found out that the Academy had been attacked by rebels, not my father’s army. By then, my father had declared war on Xeia. I didn’t want to part of that, so I stayed away.” 

“You never went back?”

Lu Han chuckled, but there was no humor in his laugh. “Once, a year ago. The rebels had been captured, and Xeia had signed the truce with Mivari. It was my father who found out where I’d been. Sent orders for me to return home, or to be cut off completely. I had to ‘grow up’, according to him.” He paused. “He tried to make me General, so I left.” He made a face. “Not exactly the welcoming party I was expecting.”

Minseok shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. “That doesn’t explain why you’re here. And _how_ did you find me?”

“The Syndicate sent me a message on the secured channels. The Tribunal Guardsmen had lost contact with the transport shuttle that had been carrying you and the other prisoners. When they found the wreckage, half of it was missing, except for what was left of the guards and pilot. The searchers assumed that everyone else on board had burnt up.” Lu Han hesitated. “The Tribunal said that were no survivors. But the Syndicate was sure that there were some, since the transport was missing several escape pods.”

A cold shiver ran through Minseok. The Tribunal might not have wanted to execute him for what he had done, but they would feel no sense of remorse if he had died on this planet. “So what happens now that you’ve found me?” he asked, trying to stay calm. Had they sent anyone else, Minseok would have acted immediately. But this was Lu Han. “Are you planning to send me back to face the Tribunal again?” A new thought dawned on him, and he took a step back warily. His voice hardened. “Unless… Lu Han, were your orders to make _sure_ that there were no survivors?”

Lu Han cut him off sharply. “They wanted to make sure that you were dead, but I came here to make sure that you lived, you _idiot_. They were going to call in Chanyeol at first. You know damn well you wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation with him, but he would have made sure you returned to the Tribunal, of course. In an _urn_.”

“Then why didn’t they?”

Lu Han smiled. “Who better to hunt you down than your own oath-brother? I told the Syndicate that I would do it alone, as long as they kept the other hunters out of this.”

“And they believed you?”

“Obviously not.” Lu Han rolled his eyes. “Chanyeol’s probably a few days behind.” He crossed his arms, giving Minseok a long, searching look. “I heard the news. That you were sent to prison for killing Woojin,” he said quietly. “That’s the other reason I’m here. You, of all people, could never have done something this horrible. What really happened, Minseok?”

Minseok swallowed. “Woojin was stealing abilities, Lu Han. He was selling them on the black market.” 

Lu Han’s shocked silence followed this, the expression of disbelief on his face. Minseok himself hadn’t believed it at first, either, when he had found out. Woojin was a third generation Adept, and his father and grandfather before him had been First Ranks. The First Ranks were treated as near-Gods - only second to the Tribunal members themselves.

“When I found out about it,” Minseok continued, “I confronted Woojin. He attacked me first, and--and I killed him.” 

Killing an Adept was almost unheard of. They were _trained_ to never take another life, that their abilities were to be used to help people. By not only overpowering the other First with his ability, but destroying his body in such a way that he was almost unrecognizable, Minseok had practically signed his own death warrant

“Couldn’t you have gone to someone first? Report him to the Tribunal?”

“I--” Minseok grimaced, trying not to think of Woojin. Or what had been left of him. “I had no proof. I thought if I went to him, if I could force him to admit it, then I would find some sort of evidence for the Tribunal.”

Lu Han stared at him. “How did you expect to gain any evidence when _you crushed his head_ \--”

“ _I didn’t mean to_!” At Lu Han’s shocked expression, Minseok cleared his throat and spoke in a quieter tone this time. “I didn’t mean to. But he was stronger than I was. When he threw me against the wall, I made a mistake of letting my guard down, and that’s when he grabbed me and pulled my powers away from me.” He drew a ragged breath at the memory. “Lu Han, he took everything.”

Lu Han shook his head, as if he still couldn’t believe it. “How?”

“Some form of transference. I don’t understand it either. He had always stayed under the radar, focusing only on those with weaker abilities, the ones who would have never been able to make it to the Academy.” Minseok paused. “But then he met my sister.”

Lu Han’s eyes widened. “Your sister?”

Minseok related how his sister had lain in the hospital, lifeless as a doll. Worse than being burnt out, which was a common occurrence amongst most trainees - except that there was no trace of her powers left within her, nothing left to heal. It had taken weeks for him to find out what had happened, chasing rumor after rumor, trying to search for the truth within Woojin’s Circle. 

Finally he had had a breakthrough; one of Woojin’s friends, who had been bitter over the poor share of profits they had gleaned from selling the stolen abilities.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone this?” Lu Han demanded.

I did,” Minseok replied. “But the Tribunal wouldn’t believe me. No one would. They thought I was making it up, that Woojin had been dating her, and I was being the over-protective brother.” He rubbed his forehead, suddenly exhausted. “When he was draining my powers away, did you know what he said to me? That he wondered how many credits it would fetch on the black market. _Because my sister’s price hadn’t been enough_.” Minseok looked up at Lu Han. “I lost it then. Next thing I remembered was that I was on the floor, and Woojin was… everywhere.” He swallowed, feeling ill at the memory. “It took them a week to decide I was guilty, and set the sentence, shipping me off to Earth along with other prisoners who had been banished from their own worlds.”

“Damn,” Lu Han swore. “I didn’t think the Tribunal would be so hasty.”

Minseok let out a sigh of relief. Lu Han, at least, seemed to believe him. No one else had. “There’s a rumor that Woojin’s grandfather had some influence with the Tribunal. I don’t doubt that he would have petitioned for me to be executed, but Tribunal law stopped him.”

Lu Han nodded in agreement. After a moment, he gave Minseok a thoughtful look. “Dalbin.”

Minseok stared at him. “What?”

“I’m thinking you could go to Dalbin. It’s a nice pleasure planet, two sectors away in the opposite direction from Xeia.” Lu Han tapped his finger against his chin, looking at Minseok’s clothes critically. “You might need a new wardrobe, though. This just makes you look like a farmer.”

“What are you talking about, Lu Han?” Minseok demanded.

“Why, escaping from this place, of course.” Lu Han flashed him a conspiratorial grin. “And the Tribunal of course. They won’t be able to find you there, and even if they did, Dalbin doesn’t have an extradition treaty with any governments within the system. If you give me a day, I can have a whole new identity for you and get you out of this pit and off the planet straight away--” he broke off, glancing sharply over Minseok’s shoulder.

Minseok turned around, following his gaze, and found himself staring at Baekhyun. He was standing at the doorway looking as white as sheet, his face a mixture of emotions that flickered between confusion, anger and, worst of all, _disappointment_.

“Baekhyun--” Minseok’s heart was pounding wildly in his ears. He hadn’t been paying attention. When had Baekhyun returned? How much had he heard?

“D-don’t.” Baekhyun flinched away sharply when Minseok began to move forward, about to reach out for him. “Please-- don’t.”

Minseok took a step back, holding his hands up. “I can explain--”

“With more lies?” Minseok flinched, as if he had been struck. “You said you couldn’t remember much about your past. That you didn’t know where you came from.” Baekhyun’s voice shook. He looked furious, and hurt. “And you’ve _killed_ people. You’ve been _lying_ to us-- to _me_ , this entire time. What makes you think I’ll believe you now?” He craned his neck, glancing over Minseok’s shoulder. Minseok realized that he was trying to look at Lu Han. “And who is-- _what the hell is that_?”

Minseok _felt_ a prickling sensation against his skin and he whirled around - but it was too late. 

Several objects floated in the air, spinning around lazily, held up by Lu Han’s ability.

*** * ***

“Baekhyun, wait!”

Ignoring Minseok’s shout, Baekhyun ran up the corridor and past the other doors. He had to get out, to escape.

He couldn’t believe what he had just seen. The items belonging to his grandfather, floating in the air. The old timepiece, spinning round and round. The marbles, making slow lazy loops, held by nothing. _Impossible_ things, things that existed only in dreams and stories, but he had seen them.

Questions ran through his mind endlessly. Who had that man been? How had he entered the colony? The only direct way in from the Outside would lead past the square, and Joonmyun would have seen him immediately. He wouldn’t have allowed a stranger to stroll in unaccompanied like that.

He ducked into a small alcove, twisting his body to squeeze into the narrow space until he found himself in the same tunnel that led to the ledge he had brought Minseok to the other night. Fumbling with the lightstone that he kept on him, he used it to illuminate the way. Here, he would be safe. He needed time to think. He couldn’t face Minseok now, not after what he had heard.

Minseok had no intention of staying here.

Baekhyun’s chest hurt. His eyes stung, and he angrily wiped away the tears. He had let himself be fooled into thinking that Minseok cared about him. The tenderness he had shown Baekhyun had been all an act - and Baekhyun, stupidly, had believed all of it. He did not care for Baekhyun. He would leave, and Baekhyun would be _alone_.

If there was one thing Baekhyun feared more than anything else, it was to be left alone. He had lost all of his family, and felt that emptiness for so long - and Minseok had filled that empty space in his heart. He had fallen in _love_ with Minseok, fallen hard and given his _heart_ to him - and now Minseok would leave, taking it with him. 

Baekhyun stumbled, and fell. His knee scraped against the rocks, his palms landed on the ground - but he felt nothing. He was numb all over. He loved Minseok, and Minseok-- it was clear that Minseok did not feel the same way.

He stumbled again. This time, it jolted him out of his dazed state, and Baekhyun realized that he hadn’t fallen out of clumsiness. He reached out cautiously, placing his hand on the nearest surface, which was the wall.

It was trembling.

Baekhyun snatched his hand away. He tried to get to his feet, but he found that he couldn’t keep his balance. The ground was shuddering now, and every step he took brought him to his knees.

A loud crack pierced through the air, echoing around him. Startled, Baekhyun dropped the lightstone he had been holding - then the ground opened up, and he fell towards the darkness.

*** * ***

Minseok turned to face Lu Han, a mixture of emotions churning inside his gut. He gave Lu Han a withering stare. “Thanks for that,” he said sourly. “Now he’s going to run off to the leader of the colony and tell him _everything_.”

“Why worry about that?” There was nothing spinning in the air any longer, although Minseok noticed that Lu Han now held a book in his hands, flicking idly through the pages. It was one of the journals Minseok had been in the middle of reading, that had been filled with entries penned by Kihyun, Baekhyun’s great-grandfather. Minseok had left it out here last night. “It’s not as if you’re planning on staying here anyway.”

Minseok said nothing. The silence dragged on for several seconds, and he watched as the realization dawned on Lu Han face, before he lifted his head up at Minseok sharply.

“You’re actually _staying_ ,” he said, voice filled with disbelief. “Minseok, you know they’ll find you here easily. Chanyeol’s not the only other bounty hunter the Syndicate would have called in.”

“What are my options, Lu Han?” Minseok demanded. “Go back, and let the Tribunal decide where else to dump me? Or worse, decide to just execute me?”

“The laws--”

“The laws were written by the Tribunal. They can change them again--”

Minseok laughed humorlessly. “Have you _ever_ heard of them changing it?”

Lu Han looked troubled. “I hear your words, Minseok. But what if it were possible? Would you leave, right now, with me?”

Minseok studied the expression on his face. It was like they were back at the Academy again, young boys dreaming of adventures across the universe. Lu Han’s face was hopeful, eager.

He shook his head. Lu Han’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Lu Han.” Minseok felt a twinge of guilt. He never imagined it would come to this, to him having to choose between two worlds.

He knew clearly which one he would choose. Baekhyun had saved him once, by pulling him out of the tunnels - and he had saved Minseok again by pulling him out of despair after being sent away from his home. In the time that they had spent together, Minseok had fallen for the other man - and it was ironic that he was only realizing it now, when he had caused Baekhyun to lose his trust in him.

 _Baekhyun_. Why was Minseok still here, when he should be looking for him, to explain things to him? He needed to set things right again, even if it meant revealing everything to Baekhyun.

And that Minseok would not - _could not_ \- leave him.

He straightened up. “I have to go after him.”

“Wait.” Lu Han gripped Minseok’s arm and stopped him in his tracks. “There’s something else you need to know.”

“Lu Han, I have to go--”

“Will you at least let me finish?” Lu Han demanded. Minseok stayed quiet, and reluctantly nodded. “You asked me earlier how I found you. Our sensors picked up traces of the prison transport on the surface of the planet. We combed through the area, but still couldn’t find you.” He paused. “Until we found your frost patterns.”

Minseok took a step back, pulling away from Lu Han’s grip. “That’s not possible.” His ability was _gone_. Lu Han’s words made no sense. “I told you, Woojin--”

“I read the reports, Minseok. I know you said Woojin stole your ability, and there was no trace of it on him or on you when they found you both.” Lu Han’s brow was furrowed. “Yet how is it possible that I can _sense it from you at this very moment_?”

“That’s… that can’t be right.” Woojin had taken everything from him before he had died. It was impossible. Their abilities couldn’t regenerate. Something else Lu Han had said registered in his mind. “What do you mean, when you say you can ‘sense’ it?”

Lu Han’s face had gone pale, as if he had realized his slip.

“Lu Han?” Minseok stepped closer. “What aren’t you telling me?”

The other man closed his eyes. “Damn. I wasn’t… I wasn’t supposed to let you know. Not this way.”

“Let me know _what_?”

Lu Han opened his eyes. He held Minseok’s gaze for several long moments,before he finally spoke. “Remember how we used to play hide-and-seek, back at the Academy? When we had to close our eyes and then search for each other, back in the towers?”

“I hated that game,” Minseok remarked a little bitterly. “What about it?”

“That’s because you never _won_. But I never told you why.” Lu Han took a deep breath. “I’m... I’m a Class-4 Sensitive.” Sensitives, or empaths, were uncommon within the Academy. Anyone found with such a gift wouldn’t have been placed in the same classes as the other trainees - they would have been pulled out from those, briefed carefully and sent spaceside to another facility for special training. A Class-1 would be able to detect changes in emotions; Class-4’s would be able to sense anyone with an ability.

“That’s why the Syndicate contacted me. They knew I would be able to find anyone here. It took me some time to sense you, but I haven’t been able to find the other prisoner yet.” Lu Han looked at Minseok, who hadn’t spoken a word the entire time that Lu Han had been talking. “I didn’t want anyone finding out. My family didn’t know either, and I was afraid that if I told you, you would stop treating me as your friend--” He grunted in surprise and staggered back, his hand rubbing his jaw. “Minseok, what the hell?”

“That’s for not trusting me to cover your back, you asshole.” Minseok massaged his knuckles, where it still hurt from the punch he had thrown. “ _Twelve years_ as my oath-brother. You could have said something.” His temper began to fade when he realized what he had done, and he let his arms drop to his sides with a heavy sigh.

Lu Han looked at him, the shock still on his face. He was still rubbing at the spot where Minseok’s fist had landed. “I guess I deserved that,” he admitted, after a moment. Then, he let out a snort of amusement. “Although, considering the fact that you’ve been keeping secrets here yourself, that’s a little ironic.”

Minseok’s face sobered. “Lu Han, I still can’t sense my ability. I would have known if it had resurfaced. You must have been mistaken.”

“Then how do you explain the frost?” Lu Han demanded. “Even now, standing in front of you, it’s _there_. It’s not as strong as I remembered, but I can sense it, simmering somewhere within, trying to wake up. Like it’s been asleep all this while.”

Minseok wanted to argue, to tell him that it was impossible - that Minseok had tried and tried and he hadn’t been able to bring his ability back. But he remembered the night out on the ledge, when the air had seemed like ice, and he recalled the moment when he had been struck by the burning cold today.

“It’s not just you,” Lu Han continued. “This place… this colony that we’re in, I can sense it all around us.”

“What are you talking about? They’re all humans, Lu Han. No human can control so much power.”

“I’m telling you, it’s here. Not as strong as what a first-year trainee would display, but enough for me to feel it. Even that man that you were about to run after--”

“Baekhyun.” Minseok realized what Lu Han was insinuating. “ _Baekhyun_? But, he can’t be--” he started to say, but then he stopped, his eyes widening.

The earth was trembling beneath their feet. 

 

By the time they had made their way to the centre of the colony, the ground had stopped shaking. In the distance, however, they could still hear the occasional rumbling in the distance, like approaching thunder.

The colony was in chaos. All around them, people were in panic. Some were huddled against the walls, frozen in fear. Some had their eyes closed, muttering prayers under their breaths. Others were being holding whatever valuables they had, moving in droves towards the main gates.

Minseok found Jongdae near the clock tower trying to direct people to safety, and he grabbed his arm quickly. “Jongdae! What’s going on? What’s happening to the colony?”

“Tremors,” Jongdae said shortly, before turning around to shout at someone. “Keep them moving in a straight line!” He turned back to Minseok. “They’ve been recurring more frequently, though none as bad as the earthquake that happened ten years ago. Joonmyun doesn’t like to take chances though, so he came up with a safety plan whenever the tremors happen.”

Earthquake. Tremors. Minseok felt the grip of fear on his throat, remembering Baekhyun’s story. “Where’s Baekhyun?”

Jongdae gave him a startled look. “I haven’t seen him since you both left earlier,” he said. “Isn’t he with you?”

Minseok shook his head. Realizing that he still held onto Jongdae’s arm, he released him quickly. “Where is everyone headed towards?” Perhaps Baekhyun was in middle of the crowd. He could still be safe.

“Everyone’s being moved to the safezone on the other side of the colony, where the greenhouses are. The area is the most secure place underground, and the walls were reinforced to keep the rocky surface from breaking apart. You should go there too--” his words trailed off, and his eyes widened. He took a step back, and pointed at Lu Han in shock. “How the hell did _he_ get in here?”

That was not a reaction he had expected. Minseok looked at Lu Han, and then back at Jongdae, whose face had gone white. For the first time since meeting Jongdae, Minseok realized he looked _frightened_.

Lu Han was grinning. “Of all the places for you to hide in, Jongdae. Must be my lucky day.”

Minseok turned towards him, staring. “Wait, you know him?” he demanded. 

“Him?” Lu Han gestured at Jongdae. “He’s got a bounty of a hundred thousand credits just for his head.” He shrugged. “Might be more for the rest of him, but the Syndicate’s not usually picky about these things.” Jongdae, Minseok noticed, had turned paler.

“Lu Han, now’s probably not the best time to be discussing about _heads_ when the damn colony is about to fall on us,” Minseok told him quietly, although most of it was through gritted teeth.

“Right,” Lu Han said, not sounding even a little chastised. “Find your boyfriend first, then catch interplanetary thieves.” He craned his neck, and groaned. “Damn it, the little rat’s escaped.”

“What?” Minseok turned back and found that, true to his word, Jongdae had vanished. 

 

Hours later, there was still no sign of Baekhyun, although the shaking seemed to have stopped completely. When he had determined that it was safe, Joonmyun issued an order for everyone to return to their homes, with an added note to keep away from the streets for the time being.

Minseok had ignored his orders, and tried searching for Baekhyun all around the colony. He wasn’t at his store, nor was he at Jongdae’s clinic or workshop. The doctor himself was missing too, and no one had seen him either.

With each passing second, Minseok found himself growing more worried. He paced around the floor in his room, trying to think of where Baekhyun could be. Lu Han was slumped in his seat by the wall, lazily reading another old journal.

“Baekhyun’s great-grandfather must have been a genius,” Lu Han remarked, sounding excited. “Half of the building plans he had for the colony were accompanied by calculations that are beyond what I’ve seen before. I didn’t think the human race had even been capable of reaching such levels of complexity.” He turned a page. “I wonder if I could borrow one of these. I could run them through the _Skylark_ ’s mainframe --”

“No,” Minseok responded flatly. “You’re not taking anything from this place. And, for that matter, neither am I leaving with you.” Lu Han had spent the last few hours trying to convince Minseok to leave the colony and board his ship, which was apparently still in orbit.

Lu Han sighed. “Why are you so stubborn?” he grumbled. “If Baekhyun really cared, he wouldn’t be avoiding you right now.”

“He’s not avoiding me,” Minseok snapped. Lu Han’s words stung. “Something must have happened to him.” He stood up abruptly. “I can’t keep waiting like this. You stay here. I’m going to look for him.”

“And let you out of my sight again, after trying to hunt you down?” Lu Han closed the book, placing it back on the shelves. “I’m coming with you," he started to say, but Minseok was already striding out the door.

By the time Lu Han had caught up with him, Minseok was standing in front of Joonmyun’s door. He pounded on it, calling out Joonmyun’s name. No answer. When it became evident that Joonmyun wasn’t home, Minseok turned around and slumped back against the wall, letting out a frustrated sound.

“What’s going on?” Minseok looked up and found Joonmyun standing in front of him, a curious expression on his face. “Why aren’t you with Baekhyun, Minseok?”

“I’m trying to look for him,” Minseok said. “We fought and he ran off, just before the ground started shaking.”

“He’s missing?” Joonmyun asked, sounding alarmed. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I-- I wasn’t sure at first. I tried looking for him everywhere but I can’t find him.”

Joonmyun’s expression grew more worried. “This is bad. Even Jongdae’s missing now, and I can’t seem to figure why.”

Lu Han snorted, muttering something about a ‘sneaky rat’ underneath his breath. Minseok stepped on his foot to warn him.

Unfortunately, Joonmyun saw the movement, and realized that there was someone else there with Minseok. Someone whom he didn’t recognize, who definitely did not look like he belonged in the colony.

“Who are you?” Joonmyun asked sharply. “Minseok, who’s this?”

Minseok sighed. “This is Lu Han. Lu Han, Joonmyun is the colony leader. Be nice to him,” he said shortly.

Lu Han raised his eyebrows at Minseok. “This planet _has_ changed you. Jokes? From you? You never used to be like this on Xeia.”

“Xeia?” Joonmyun looked at both of them in confusion, as Minseok groaned. “Is that your colony?”

“It’s a planet on the other side of the system,” Jongdae spoke up, suddenly. He stepped out of the shadows from where he had been hiding. Minseok noticed that he had a knapsack with him, and he was dressed in an odd assortment of clothes, complete with a pair of leather boots and gloves. The combination looked nothing like the simple clothes he had been wearing in the colony.

Joonmyun’s eyes grew wide. “Jongdae, where were you? Why are you dressed like that?”

“I’m leaving the colony, Joonmyun.” Jongdae’s expression was conflicted. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a choice. I can’t stay here any longer.”

“But… why?”

“Because he’s not one of you,” Lu Han responded, just as Jongdae opened his mouth to speak. “He’s a thief who’s wanted by his own government on another planet, and he thinks I’m here to take him back.”

Minseok expected Joonmyun to act shocked by the news, but instead, he narrowed his eyes and whirled around to face Lu Han.

“I know that,” Joonmyun snapped. “I know all about where he came from, and what he did. It doesn’t matter to me what he used to be - he’s just a part of our colony as anyone else here.” Joonmyun advanced on him, and reached out to shove his finger against Lu Han’s chest, forcing him to step back in surprise. “Jongdae is _our_ doctor. He’s not a thief, do you hear me? You’re not going to take him away from us. If you try--” Minseok caught sight of the storm in Joonmyun’s usually calm eyes --” _I will stop you_.”

Lu Han’s eyes widened. So did Minseok, who had never seen calm Joonmyun react with such fierceness.

“Well, that’s one way to confess to a guy,” Jongdae remarked, breaking the silence in the end. “I didn’t think you felt that way, Leader.”

Joonmyun’s face was bright red by the time he was done. “I--I-- that’s not what I meant!”

“I’m flattered, by the way.” Jongdae’s grin grew wider, as Joonmyun continued sputtering. “Although the idea of you fighting with a mercenary sounds wonderfully heroic--”

“Bounty hunter,” Lu Han corrected, giving the both of them a reassuring look. “Also I’m not going to try to take anyone away, so calm down. I’m here to help Minseok,” he said. “And right now, we need your help to find Baekhyun.” 

“There aren’t that many places to hide in the colony,” Joonmyun told him. “Everyone knows everyone here. Someone would have mentioned seeing him by now.”

“Could he have gone to the Outside?”

“Not by himself. The main way out needs two people to open the gates. He wouldn’t have been able to do it on his own.”

“What about the old tunnels?” Jongdae asked, looking at Joonmyun. “You told me before that when you first came to the colony, you found another tunnel that led out of here.”

Minseok looked at him in surprise. “You were from the Outside?” he asked, quietly.

“It’s not really a secret,” Joonmyun said defensively. “It was Baekhyun’s parents who brought my family into the colony when I was ten.” He swallowed. “My parents were lost with them in the tunnels.” Minseok felt a surge of sympathy, remembering how hard it had been for Baekhyun when that had happened. He hadn’t realized Joonmyun had been through the same ordeal too. “That’s why no one’s allowed into those tunnels, Minseok. They’re not stable enough. We’ve tried mapping them over the years, but it takes time.”

“Baekhyun knows them though,” Minseok said, suddenly. He remembered Baekhyun’s confidence when he had told Minseok about the tunnels and how he had used them to explore the mountain range. “He’s been using them for years.”

Joonmyun and Jongdae stared at him. “How?”

“He-- he didn’t say. But I went with him into one of them, and we were… we were on the Outside.” There had been other tunnels too, leading away from the colony, but Baekhyun had pulled him past the openings and told him that those didn’t lead to the top.

A thought struck him. The ledge. Baekhyun had said that he would go there when he needed to get away. What if the tunnels had fallen in? What if Baekhyun was trapped up there, with no way back?

“I know where he is,” Minseok blurted out. “At least, I think I know where it is, but I need help lighting the way.”

“We’ll go with you,” Joonmyun said quickly. “Jongdae can get the lamps and we can use those to search the tunnels.”

Minseok remembered the way back to the same tunnel that Baekhyun had led him from, although it felt odd to be going into them without Baekhyun’s presence. Joonmyun was right behind him, along with Lu Han, while Jongdae kept a safe distance from Lu Han while trying to keep up.

Suddenly, Minseok stopped, holding up his hand. The others followed suit. Ahead of him, the path had split into two.

“Which one, Minseok?” Joonmyun asked.

“I can’t remember,” Minseok said. He tried to recall when they had returned, when Baekhyun had been pulling him along, his hand warm in Minseok’s grip. Minseok hadn’t been paying attention then. “Damn, _damn_ \--”

“Wait,” Lu Han called out. “I think I found something.” They hurried over towards where he was standing, looking down at something he had picked up from the ground.

It was one of Baekhyun’s lightstones.

Minseok took it from him, his hand trembling. It was still glowing, although the light was faint, but it was proof that Baekhyun had been here recently.

He looked up. They were standing almost inside one of the tunnels. He raised his lamp, and the light fell onto the rubble that covered the entire opening.

 _I used to be afraid of the dark_ , Baekhyun had said. 

The lightstone was here, on this side, and Baekhyun wasn’t.

“Shit,” he heard Jongdae swore. “Baekhyun. He can’t be--”

“He’s still alive,” Minseok cut in. “He wouldn’t have let himself be trapped like this.” He _had_ to stay alive, for Minseok.

“Where does this lead to?” Lu Han asked Joonmyun, looking curious.

Joonmyun took a deep breath, before he answered, “The tunnel leads directly to Carcere, the prison colony.”


	6. Chapter 6

> _“Libera te Tutemet Ex Inferis”  
>  _
> 
>     
>     
>     _\- Inscribed on the walls of Carcere, translated to ‘Save yourself from hell’_

* * *

  


Baekhyun coughed, trying not to inhale the dust from the fallen debris and rocks that surrounded him.

When he had woken up, he had been surrounded in pitch darkness. He had tried to search for the lightstone that he had been carrying earlier, fumbling and crawling in the dark, fingers brushing against the rough, rocky surface - but he could not find it.

In despair, he had sat back down on the ground. He didn’t know where to go, which direction he had to go. Without any light, he was lost. 

“Be fearless be fearless don’t be afraid,” Baekhyun muttered to himself. “Come on Baekhyun, think of the light, don’t think of the dark, don’t think of things in the dark oh _shit_ it’s still dark--” His fingers scrabbled against the rough surface in panic as he closed his eyes and pressed back against the wall, trying to stay calm.

He breathed in deeply, before exhaling slowly. Repeating this a few more times, it took him a while before his heart stopped pounding and trying to leap out of his throat.

He cracked open one eye, and found that he was still surrounded by pitch-black. Wrinkling his nose, he closed his eyes, even though the act was probably pointless, and tried to push down his rising panic again.

“Think, you dumb moron,” he said to himself. He had lost his lightstone, and his lamp had accidentally been left back at home, but he could figure something out. He thought of his lightstones, and the way they had lit up when he had held them the first time.

Could he do it again? He remembered telling Minseok - when he had asked Baekhyun how he had made them - that it was a family secret, but the truth was that he didn’t know. He knew that his grandfather could form tiny spheres of light in the air. It was a trick that he had shown Baekhyun when he was younger, but no matter how hard Baekhyun had tried, he couldn’t do what his grandfather did. The only time he could make something that resembled the light tricks were when he held onto something, like a rock--

A rock. Baekhyun wanted to slap himself on the head. How could he be so dumb? He was _surrounded_ by rocks! He slowly crouched, one hand still pressed against the walls, and reached out with the other hand to feel his way around on the ground.

His fingers soon found something. It felt like a small pebble, no bigger than his thumb - but it would do for now. He held it in his hands, and took a deep breath, his fingers slowly stroking the surface, as he tried to concentrate. He thought of light. He thought of the lights that his grandfather had formed, the bright spheres that had circled him. He thought of how it had felt, warm against his fingers when he had reached out to touch one of the spheres.

Baekhyun thought of _light_. Nothing but light. He could sense something at the edge of his mind - a faint pulse, so faint that he had to strain to reach for it, stretching until he felt the pebble growing warm under his fingertips.

He opened his eyes to find that it was glowing.

Baekhyun almost let out a shout of elation. He had done it! He could see the wall next to him now, and the ground that he was crouching on. It wasn’t much, since the source of light was so small compared to what he was used to working with, but it gave him enough confidence to get to his feet and look for a way out. Using the newly formed lightstone, Baekhyun made his way through the tunnel, occasionally reaching out with his hand to touch the walls for assurance that it was still there.

After what felt like hours of walking, he could hear voices echoing from the distance. His ears perked up. He must have doubled back somehow and found himself in one of the older tunnels that wound back into the colony.

A soft laugh drifted down the tunnel. Baekhyun’s heart lifted. It _had_ to be it. The colony.  
Baekhyun could see the faint glow far ahead. He felt a sense of elation. There it was, his way out. He exhaled in relief. He was going to see Minseok, and talk to him. He would demand for Minseok to tell him the truth about everything, and then he would see if it was worth forgiving the other man.

And then Baekhyun would kiss him, and tell Minseok that he loved him.

Inspired by this and the eagerness to see Minseok, Baekhyun increased his pace, heading towards the faint light. It began to grow larger and larger, and he could see the opening up ahead, and then--

Baekhyun stumbled into the unfamiliar room and found himself standing face-to-face with a man he had never seen before.

 

****

* * *

Minseok leaned back against the wall, watching the way the flame flickered inside the lamp.

It had been some time since they had found the lightstone. With Lu Han’s help, they had managed to move some of the stones blocking the way into the tunnel Baekhyun had gone into, leaving a gap large enough for them to squeeze through.

Joonmyun had nearly fainted at the sight of Lu Han lifting the stones with nothing more than a flick of his hands. It had taken Minseok some time to explain telekinesis to him. In the end, there had been no choice but to reveal everything to Joonmyun: Minseok’s past along with the reason he had ended up on the planet.

The colony leader had kept quiet the entire time Minseok was talking. Only after Minseok was done, Joonmyun had glanced at Lu Han, who nodded, confirming that Minseok had been telling the truth. Joonmyun had let out a resigned sigh. “Had you told me that the first time we met, I wouldn’t have let you stayed,” he had admitted to Minseok. “But now, I’m glad you didn’t.” He had patted Minseok on the shoulder. “I know Baekhyun cares for you, and you do for him. We’ll find him.” Minseok had nodded, feeling a sense of relief that Joonmyun hadn’t been _too_ angry.

They had walked deeper and deeper into the tunnel, looking for Baekhyun, or a sign that he had been there. Lu Han insisted that he had been there; he could sense his ability, having recently been used, lingering in the air. That had brought about another round of questioning from Minseok: how was it possible for Baekhyun to show traces of an ability that only existed in planets far beyond Earth?

Lu Han had no answer for him, which frustrated Minseok even further.

They were forced to take a break after a while. Joonmyun had had the foresight to bring a waterskin, and they stopped to rest, passing the pouch around and taking sips from it.

Minseok blamed himself. He should have gone after Baekhyun earlier. Instead, he had allowed himself to be distracted by Lu Han’s sudden appearance. Worse, they had lost even more precious hours after that by waiting at home, when they should have been out looking for Baekhyun. When _Minseok_ should have been out, looking for him.

“Minseok,” Lu Han asked, in a low voice. Minseok looked at him. “What you said earlier. Are you’re really serious about staying here?” 

“Yes.”

Lu Han hesitated, and then added, “What if we don’t find him? What would you do then?”

“We’ll find him,” Minseok said firmly. He _had_ to find Baekhyun, to apologize, to explain everything to him. 

So he could tell him Baekhyun that he loved him.

Lu Han’s intentions were genuine, and Minseok knew that he was worried for him as his friend, but Minseok wasn’t ready to accept that he would give up. “We should keep moving,” he said abruptly, before getting to his feet.

The others traded glances before following suit.

Lu Han fell into step next to Minseok. “I should apologize,” he said softly.

Minseok sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You wouldn’t have come to a decision like this lightly. A person might change over the years, but that doesn’t change who they are inside. Especially the determination they have for someone they love.” Lu Han let out a quiet chuckle. “Besides, I should have known that you’d fall for a pretty face in the end.”

Letting a small smile form on his lips, Minseok elbowed Lu Han slightly. “Better than that tentacled Kandoran you thought was your soulmate, at least.”

“I thought that was her _hair_ ,” Lu Han protested. “How was I supposed to know those were tentacles?”

Behind them, Minseok could hear Joonmyun’s frantic whisper of _Tentacles??_ at Jongdae, and tried not to laugh.

After walking for some time, Lu Han started talking again. “I’ve been thinking about it, trying to figure it out. No one’s been sent to Earth from Xeia in centuries,” Lu Han remarked. “It seemed strange that they would send you here when they had the new maximum security prison on Mars.”

“Not so strange,” Minseok murmured. “Senator Yang requested for me to be transferred to the Earth prison.” The senator had been Woojin’s father. He had made no secret of his hatred for Minseok after Woojin’s death.

“I heard the same thing too. But it still made no sense, until I dug around, and found out that there was no prison here. There hasn’t been any for almost a decade.” Lu Han snorted. “Another one of the Tribunal’s secrets.”

Minseok frowned. “Then what was the purpose of sending us here? I wasn’t the only other prisoner on board. There must have been close to a dozen more.”

“Fifteen prisoners,” Lu Han corrected. “All bound for Mars. Only two of you were to be sent to Earth, however. You and another Adept.”

“Another Adept?” Minseok’s ears pricked up at this. “There was another Adept?”

Lu Han nodded. “He was banished from Xeia. Same conditions as yours.” He gave Minseok a strange look. “Do you remember seeing him on the transport? He was in the Academy with us. The one that was caught for killing his oath-brother last year.”

Minseok stopped, suddenly. “Wait. What was his name?” He remembered something, at the edge of his memory. A soft laugh while he had been on the prison transport from Xeia, drifting from the cell next to his between murmured conversations. Which would have not been unusual, except there was only one person inside that cell.

It was also the same laugh he had heard before the ground had opened up under his feet, sending him into the tunnels the first time.

Lu Han’s brow furrowed, as if he was trying to recall the name. “Kyungsoo,” he said, finally. “It was Kyungsoo.”

*** * ***

“Hello,” the man said pleasantly. “My name is Kyungsoo.” He tilted his head. “What’s yours?”

“Uh, urm. It’s Baekhyun,” Baekhyun answered hesitantly. 

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo repeated, smiling. There was something strange about his smile, but Baekhyun couldn’t quite place what it was. “Hello, Baekhyun. Where did you come from?”

“I--I came through the tunnels,” Baekhyun replied. “Wh--where is this place?”

“This?” Kyungsoo looked around him, and then dropped his gaze back towards Baekhyun. “This is my home, of course.” The smile widened. “Do you like it?”

The light here was dim, but there was enough for Baekhyun to see parts of the room, if not all of it. The room they were in was empty, save for a few upturned chairs and broken tables. Rusting metal boxes lay in one corner, and in another, an odd lump of clothes were stacked on top of one another. 

“It’s… cozy.” There didn’t seem to be anyone else around. It was too quiet.

“It can get a little lonely.” Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun. He still hadn’t stopped _smiling_ even once. “Do you like games, Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun almost said yes, but he stopped short. There was something about the man’s expression that made him rethink his words, and he slowly took a step back, warily. “Uh, no.”

“Why not?” Kyungsoo asked, taking a step forward. “I like games. They’re fun to play.” Kyungsoo frowned. “Problem is, no one ever wants to play with me.”

“I’m--I’m sure they do.” Baekhyun swallowed. Something was very, very _wrong_ here. “I, ah, I’m bad at games. You wouldn’t want to play with me.” He took another step back, and almost stumbled backwards when his foot landed on something wobbly.

He glanced down to see what he had stepped on, and sucked his breath in sharply.

It was a severed arm. He stared at it in horror. The stink of rotting flesh filled his nose, and he backed away, nearly throwing up.

“I asked them,” Kyungsoo said sadly, pointing at the pile of clothes. Suddenly, they didn’t look like clothes anymore. Baekhyun felt his stomach coiling from revulsion. “I asked them, and they said no, and then they tried to hit me.” He looked at Baekhyun. “You’re not going try to hit me, are you?

“N-no.” Baekhyun’s heart was beating loudly in his ears, and he could feel the sweat that was beginning to pool around his neck. “I won’t... I won’t do that.”

“Good.” Kyungsoo stopped advancing on Baekhyun, and the smile grew wider. “So let’s play a game. Do you want to hear the rules?”

Baekhyun nodded quickly. He could feel his stomach coil from revulsion. 

“They’re very simple. All you have to do is to tell me where the Adept is.”

“The what?” Baekhyun blinked in confusion. “I--I don’t know what you mean.”

The smile wavered. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you to never lie?” 

Baekhyun felt his chest ache at the mention of his parents. “I’m not lying--”

“ _Yes, you are_.” The pleasant smile was gone, replaced by a snarling face. “You’ve been lying to me since you walked in here, and you’re _LYING TO ME NOW_ \--” 

Kyungsoo stopped talking. The room was shaking, the ground shifting beneath them. Baekhyun tried not to whimper. He had never been so confused and frightened in his life, but something told him that if he moved now, he would not survive.

Suddenly, everything was calm again. Baekhyun watched as Kyungsoo took a deep breath, before turning his attention back to Baekhyun. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, his voice hushed. “Sometimes I get a little... angry.” He let out a sigh. “I don’t like being angry, to be honest.” He started to shake his head, clutching his arms with his hands and swaying his body from side to side. “Kangwoo used to make me angry, but he was supposed to be my brother. Aren’t brothers supposed to make you happy?” He looked straight at Baekhyun. “Do you have a brother, Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun swallowed, shaking his quickly. He didn’t trust himself to speak.

“That’s too bad. Brothers are fun. Kangwoo was fun, but he was always too busy to play games. That made me angry.” Kyungsoo straightened up, and his face brightened up, as if he had an idea. “Let’s play a game.” He took a few steps backward. “I’ll count to five, and you can try to hide. And then I’ll try to find you.” The pleasant smile returned to his face, and now Baekhyun could clearly see the madness behind them. “ _One…two…_ ”

Baekhyun turn and ran.

 

****

* * *

Carcere had been a building once. It had been shaped like a knife, sticking out of the ground - or so they said. Not that Joonmyun had ever seen it - but he had heard the stories.

Right now, as he walked through the dimly lit hallways of Carcere, he wondered about those stories. It didn’t look like a knife - at least from the inside - but a very densely packed series of rooms. There was no one here, which he had expected, since the last earthquake had destroyed and killed almost everyone in the place. Those who had escaped were consumed by the poisonous vapours emitting from the moat which surrounded the colony, according to the rumors.

Here and there, the skeletal remains of its past occupants lay scattered across the floor. Whether they had been picked apart by scavengers or the passage of time, Joonmyun could not tell. Beyond the corridor, the doors were missing from the doorway.

They stepped through it, and found themselves in a large area. Here, it looked as if there had been signs of recent activity. Footprints and scuffled marks were spread across the dusty ground. A table, with traces of food on it. A chair, in the middle of the room, set on top of a platform or some sort, covered in metal-like vines.

“This doesn’t look like a colony,” he heard Lu Han mutter to Minseok. “This looks like someone’s turned it into his own playroom here.” He pointed at where there were strange lumps littered across the ground, covered in bright-orange cloth. “I think we’ve found the missing prisoners.”

It took Joonmyun a moment to realize that they were once bodies.

He turned and vomited. The sight of those people, their headless bodies torn apart, lingered in his mind, and he heaved again. He could hear Jongdae next to him, whispering and rubbing his back soothingly, while Joonmyun continued throwing up the contents of his stomach.

When he finally calmed down, he took a deep, ragged breath. He still felt sick, but there was nothing left for him to throw up anymore. His hands shaking, he lifted his hand to wipe at his mouth, but Jongdae was there, with a napkin that he had pulled out of his knapsack, and he was wiping traces of vomit from Joonmyun’s mouth, the gesture almost tender.

“Are you alright?” Jongdae asked when he was done. His hands were now cupping the sides of Joonmyun’s face.

Joonmyun nodded, and Jongdae exhaled in relief. He didn’t move his hands.

Behind them, Minseok cleared his throat, and Joonmyun jumped, startled. He realized that Minseok was giving him and Jongdae a knowing look, and he flushed, taking a step back.

Joonmyun took a deep breath. “What--what could have caused this?” he asked Minseok. “This is beyond anything I’ve seen.”

“Kyungsoo,” Minseok said. Joonmyun blinked at him in confusion. “Fifth Ranked Adept. His ability was abnormal strength.”

“S-strength?” Joonmyun asked.

“He could lift anything that was at least ten times his weight, and he could crush stone with his bare hands. But he was never violent, not that I remembered at the Academy. He was just a very quiet kid.”

“He kept to himself a lot while the other trainees taunted him or avoided him,” Lu Han added. “His oath-brother was just as quiet as he was. I remembered that he would always hide behind Kyungsoo when they were heading to classes.” He looked thoughtful. “Strange. I used to think that it was Kyungsoo who overprotective of him.”

Minseok grimaced. “Except that last year they found his oath-brother torn from limb to limb in his home. They arrested Kyungsoo soon after.”

Joonmyun’s face was pale, even under the dim light from the lamps. “Why would he do such a horrible thing?”

Lu Han shook his head. “I don’t know. They held him in a rehabilitation centre spaceside for close to a year before he ended up being transferred. His records showed that he was polite and friendly to everyone at first, although he kept quiet most of the time. Until he started hearing voices.”

“Voices?” Jongdae asked, standing next to Joonmyun. “What do you mean?”

“No one understood what he was saying at first, but soon it became clear that he was having conversations. Arguments, with someone he knew - even though there was no one there. It took them a while to recognize who he thought he was talking to.“ Lu Han paused, looking straight at Joonmyun. “It was his oath-brother, Kangwoo, that he had murdered--”

A high-pitched yell interrupted him, echoing through the corridors and hallways within the abandoned prison, filling up the room they were in. 

A second later, the ceiling fell on top of them.

 

****

* * *

Baekhyun’s yell echoed all around him, bouncing off the walls and filling the hallway that he had ended up in as he staggered back in shock, his hand flying up to his face to where the rock had struck him, while the other hand was held outwards in front of him, the dim glow from the lightstone beginning to fade.

The ground was shaking again. This time, it felt worse than before, as he took a step back, until he found himself pressed against the bars that had blocked his way. He could feel the cold seeping through from the metal bars.

Up ahead, there was a slight movement from within the shadows, followed by the quiet crunch of rocks underfoot as the figure moved closer towards him.

“Rabbit, little _rabbit_ , see how they hop. See how they _run_.” The voice came from the darkness, singing softly. “Rabbits are cute, don’t you think? But they can never run fast enough.” Another stone came hurtling from the shadows, striking the bars above Baekhyun’s head. He flinched, trembling.

“I’m not a rabbit,” Baekhyun told him. “Please, just let me go,” he begged.

“But we were having so much fun,” the voice told him. “Don’t you like this game? We can play another.” A low chuckled drifted from him, the sound wrapping itself around Baekhyun oppressively. “Kangwoo didn’t like rabbits.” A sigh. “He didn’t like anything. He just liked his books. Only books, you see. Do you like books?”

“N-no.”

“That’s good. Or not. Reading is good. I like to read too. Did you know that if you pull a rabbit’s leg off, it screams exactly like a person?” Kyungsoo’s face came into view as he took another step closer towards Baekhyun, illuminated by the dying lamp that hung overhead. “But I’ve always wondered why if you pull a person’s leg off, they don’t scream like a rabbit.”

Baekhyun felt the cold hand of terror gripping his chest. 

Kyungsoo smiled. The light flickered, and the flame went out.

 

****

* * *

Jongdae ran through the corridors, sidestepping the debris and broken stones that lay scattered on the ground. The sudden tremor that had shaken the prison had caused the old structure to destabilize, and the ceiling in the room they were in had given way. Had Lu Han not leapt in and used his abilities to create some sort of invisible barrier that protected them from crumbling stones, they would have been buried beneath the debris.

Ahead of him, he could see Minseok picking up speed as the gap between them widened. Lu Han ran next to him, matching his pace easily. Jongdae had heard of Adepts and their remarkable abilities, but he had never met one. No wonder Minseok’s injuries had healed fast, thanks to the change in their metabolism rates that allowed them to withstand the change in their body chemistry to allow the ability to manifest.

He shook his head, and pushed himself to catch up. He would study the concept later, now that he had met Minseok and Lu Han. After they find Baekhyun. _If_ they found him. From all accounts, it seemed that they were up against a violent psychopath.

Suddenly Lu Han slowed down, halting when he came to the end of the corridor, the others following suit. A small opening was visible along one of the walls, and as Jongdae watched, Lu Han held his hand up, tilting his head to one side as his face furrowed in concentration. “He went through this way,” he said, turning towards them. “I can sense him, but he’s not alone. There’s another person, someone else with an ability.”

Minseok said nothing, but his face was drawn up in determination as he nodded, crouching in front of the opening. He took a deep breath, and crawled into the space, followed by Lu Han and Joonmyun. A moment later, Jongdae went through the hole.

He found himself in another darkened corridor. Minseok held up one of the lamps, and he could see that it was a narrow space that ran through a cellblock. The metal bars that lined the cells were twisted, rusted, and there were bones scattered around in some of them. He looked away, shuddering.

Suddenly, a low chuckle echoed all them, and Jongdae looked up to see Lu Han’s gaze sharpen. He traded glances with Minseok, and they began moving towards the sound in determination.

Jongdae kicked against something, and let out a yelp in surprise before he clamped his mouth shut again as Minseok whirled around to glare at him. But it was too late.

A new voice filled up the corridor. “New friends?” A soft laugh. “Are you looking for a little rabbit?” Another laugh, and Jongdae took a step back, fearfully. “Do you like to play games?”

“No games, Kyungsoo,” Minseok’s voice was firm. “Where’s Baekhyun?”

“Minseok?” Jongdae heard. “Minseok, what are you doing here, you shouldn’t be here, this guy is crazy--” 

“ _Don’t call me that_!” Jongdae almost dropped the lantern, his ears hurting from Kyungsoo’s shout. Rage trembled in his voice. “I’m not-- I’m not crazy. I’M NOT CRAZY--” The walls shook, followed by the tearing, shrieking sound of metal.

“Get down!” Lu Han shouted just as Joonmyun pulled Jongdae out of the way, a second before before something came hurtling from the shadows, flying through the space before crashing into one of the cells behind them. He landed on his sides, half sprawled across Joonmyun. He scrambled to his feet, noticing that Minseok and Lu Han had landed on the ground across from them. Their lamps had fallen, and one had been extinguished.

Someone came running out towards them. In the light that still remained, Jongdae saw that it was Baekhyun, and he fell on top of Minseok, clutching his arms.

“ _Minseok_ , oh gods, oh shit, it’s really you,” he babbled, as Minseok held onto him. “We have to go, we have to get out now before he comes--”

A loud snarl of rage interrupted him, followed by the sound of another cell door being ripped off. Lu Han raised his hands to create another barrier-- but before he could, a loud boom echoed through the corridor as the place shook again. A horrible noise began to fill the air and to Jongdae’s horror, he realized that a jagged line had appeared on the ground towards them.

“Run!” came Lu Han’s shout, as Minseok shoved Baekhyun off him and yanked him to his feet. Jongdae reached out to grab Joonmyun, but he was no longer next to him.

“Joonmyun?” he called out, and then saw that the other man was staggering towards the shadows, towards the direction where Baekhyun had came from. “No, Joonmyun don’t go there--”

“Just _go_!” Joonmyun shouted back. “I’ll distract him, but you just get everyone to safety!” He was about to turn around when something struck him.

Joonmyun crashed against the wall, before crumpling down onto the ground.

“ _Joonmyun_!” Jongdae’s feet stumbled over each other as he ran towards Joonmyun, gathering him up in his arms. “Shit, _shit_ , wake up, Joonmyun, wake up!” He could feel the steady pulse of Joonmyun’s heartbeat against his chest, but it was weak. Blood trickled from his head, running across his forehead.

Jongdae looked up and saw that Kyungsoo was standing where Joonmyun had been struck. He was looking at them in amusement, the same way one would look at a group of children playing.

Feeling a cold simmering rage that he had never felt before, Jongdae took a deep breath, exhaling as he looked at the others. Minseok and Baekhyun were next to him, having run over to join Jongdae. Lu Han stood over them, his hand still held out as he faced the shadows, where Kyungsoo was hidden within.

“You have to take Joonmyun back,” he said. “All of you have to go back, and warn the colonists. Make sure they’re safe.” He looked down at Joonmyun. “And make sure he’s safe.

“But Jongdae--” He ignored their protests. He picked up the lamp that he had been using to get through the tunnels. The flame danced merrily inside the shutters. He stood up, turning around to face Kyungsoo.

“Just _go_ ,” he whispered, and set off in a dead run, the lamp swinging in his grip as he went straight for Kyungsoo. At the last second, his instincts kicked in, all those years of sneaking into government hospitals and labs to steal their secrets, and he skidded to a near stop and flung the lamp into Kyungsoo’s face.

The lamp exploded as Kyungsoo shrieked in pain.

Jongdae covered his face with his arms to keep the glass from falling onto it, before looking up to see if he had been successful. To his dismay, he saw that there had been no damage, except for a burnt mark on his jaw. The rest of his face was intact, untouched by the flames from the lamp that were beginning to die down.

Kyungsoo looked down at him, and shook his head. Jongdae tried to back away, but Kyungsoo’s hand shot out, gripping his ankle. He tried to kick at the other man, but all he received for his efforts was a strong squeeze that made him cry out.

When he caught his breath again, blinking through the tears of pain that had filled his eyes, he saw that Kyungsoo had both hands on Jongdae’s leg now. His lips curved maliciously, as his grip tightened. “Do you want to play a game?”

He twisted his arms.

The scream left Jongdae’s throat as the searing, tearing pain ripped through him.

 

****

* * *

Minseok was surrounded by chaos.

Jongdae was on the ground clutching the stump that had been once his leg, crying out in agony. Next to him, Lu Han had his hands full, trying to keep the barrier up, protecting them as Kyungsoo ripped out the wall and sent large chunks of it hurtling towards the group. Minseok watched helplessly as Lu Han tried deflecting a few of the stones back towards Kyungsoo, but he was no match for the man’s brute strength and speed. Minseok could see that he was beginning to weaken.

“What do we do, Minseok?” Baekhyun whispered. “We can’t just leave them here.” His face was tear-stricken, covered in dust and sweat. There was a cut on his cheek, the blood having dried up now. 

Minseok shook his head. He wished that he had his ability now. He wished that he could feel the cold ice, and use it to overpower Kyungsoo. He curled his fingers into a tight fist, closing his eyes. Lu Han had said that it was there. Lu Han, as an empath, could feel his abilities. Minseok believed him. He believed that it was there, that just he had to draw it back out again, except he didn’t know how.

The burning cold hit him suddenly, and he sucked his breath in sharply. It was not the same cold that he had grown up recognizing as his ability, but something else. He could feel it against his skin, against his _chest_ , the heat and ice burning a brand onto his skin--

Minseok reached up instinctively, and grabbed the charm that his sister had given him.

The charm flared to life. His mouth hung open in shock as he felt his ability flowing back into him. Somehow it had been with him all along, hidden in his sister’s charm. He breathed, letting the cold fill his lungs, the sweet breath of _life_ that he had missed.

Frost began to form on the ground and walls around them. The air grew cold. Beside him, he heard Baekhyun gasp. Minseok turned to look at him.

“Your--your eyes,” Baekhyun whispered. “They’re completely white.”

White, like frost. Minseok smiled in relief. He had his ability back.

“If you’re done showing off,” Lu Han called out loudly, as he deflected another stone, “I could do with a little help here!”

Minseok concentrated. It came to him easily, the ice, before spreading out across the ground towards Kyungsoo. He watched as the ice grew and shaped itself into vines that wrapped itself around Kyungsoo’s ankles, binding him to the ground.

He breathed, and the air around Kyungsoo turned colder. Minseok could see Kyungsoo’s eyes widening, his movements beginning to slow down as icy numbness settled into his skin, sinking into his muscles. Kyungsoo’s hand shook as he tried to reach for another stone; it fell from his grip onto the ground.

Minseok raised his hand, intending to create a wall of ice around Kyungsoo to trap him. He could feel his ability begin to waver - it had been too long, and he felt out of sync, but he tried anyway. The veins on his hands stood out against his skin, specks of ice and snow forming across them as he struggled to build the block.

Kyungsoo himself fared no better. He was growing weak, Minseok could see. His movements were slower and sluggish, and he was panting visibly as he struggled against the ice that bound his feet. 

Just a little more, Minseok told himself. He could do this, he could finish this off--

With a snarl of rage, Kyungsoo broke free of the ice. Before Minseok could react, he had lifted his foot up, and slammed it onto the ground, causing it to tremble. Minseok stumbled, the hold he had on his ability slipping.

Kyungsoo stomped again. Minseok lost his balance and fell. Next to him Lu Han was struggling to hold up the barrier.

Another stomp. Lu Han fell, letting out a cry of pain as he landed on his knees.

Kyungsoo kept walking towards them. Each step brought another round of tremors that shook the place, keeping them off-balance and unable to focus on their abilities. Minseok tried to send another vein of ice towards Kyungsoo again, but he was prepared for it, and lifted his foot to crush the vines.

Strong fingers wrapped around his throat, pulling him to up his knees. He tried to speak, but his words were caught in his throat. He was choking. Memories of Woojin as he choked Minseok came unbidden to his mind. Of Woojin laughing as he pulled his ability out of him.

Memories of his sister, lying on the hospital bed, drained of her ability.

“You should have been dead,” Kyungsoo hissed at him. “They promised me freedom. Find you, they said. Destroy you. Instead, you survived the transport crash. And then you survived the fall in the cave.” He grabbed Minseok’s head with the other hand, Minseok struggled to pull them away, to bat them away, but it was no use. 

“No more running, _Adept_. This time, you’ll be _dead_.”

“ _NO_!”

 

****

* * *

“NO!” Baekhyun shouted just as Kyungsoo lifted Minseok’s body, his arms tensing, as if he were ready to tear him apart. He moved without thinking, flinging his hand outwards towards their direction, shouting on the top of his voice. “ _Minseok_!”

Light burst from his hand in a single stream, hitting Kyungsoo right in the chest.

Shocked by the sudden attack, Kyungsoo dropped Minseok back onto the ground. He tried to brush the light away, but Baekhyun held on, sending all of it towards him. He thought of how Kyungsoo had threatened to hurt them, had threatened _him_. Of how he had hurt Joonmyun and Jongdae, and tried to kill Minseok.

 _Minseok_. He loved Minseok, and he’d be damned if he let Minseok be harmed by anyone as long as he lived.

“You wanted to play, didn’t you?” Baekhyun said to Kyungsoo, whose face was covered in spider-like veins of light now, the lines glowing red like embers from burning coal. He took another step forward, his hand still held in front of him, relentlessly sending all the hate and anger and fear that he had felt into the beam. “Then let’s play a game. _My rules_.” Another step. His powers were singing to him now, elated at being brought forth after being held back for so long. “It’s your turn to _run_.”

Kyungsoo did not run. He did not even scream. He looked at Baekhyun, his eyes wide open in terror for the first time since Baekhyun had met him, and his mouth hung open, without a sound. The glowing veins on his skin began to expand, just as the beam of light faded.

Baekhyun fell to his knees, his legs weak. He watched as the light grew and grew, surrounded Kyungsoo, the veins pulsing angrily against his skin. Kyungsoo stood there, his eyes no longer there, his face frozen in agony - and, as Baekhyun watched, his body disintegrated, vanishing into the air and leaving behind nothing.

Baekhyun would have felt relief, except that something strange was happening to him now. He could feel his hands trembling, and he looked down to see that the glowing veins had begun to fade, growing dimmer and then flaring up again. He couldn’t breathe. He could hear Minseok calling him, calling his name, but he couldn’t answer. It felt like everything was building up slowly and spilling out of him, and the heat was growing more and more and it was getting brighter, too bright and it _hurt_ \--

 _Minseok_ , he whispered, _Help me_.

“Damn it, Baekhyun, don’t you dare die on me!” Icy fingers wrapped around his wrists, pulling his hands away from his face. He could feel ice on his skin, the frost covering his entire body and sinking into the veins, melting against the heat that was threatening to burst out of him. He struggled against it, against the pain, but Minseok didn’t let go of him. Minseok _wouldn’t_ let go; he kept his hands firm on Baekhyun, containing the searing heat with the cold as the light began to waver and grow dimmer - until it disappeared from Baekhyun’s arms and hands.

Once his vision cleared, he saw Minseok, his eyes completely white and his hair covered in frost as he held Baekhyun in his arms.

He watched as the frost began to fade, the milky white slipping away from his eyes to return to normal, and Minseok, _his Minseok_ , was in front of him once more, and _alive_.

He saw Minseok open his mouth, looking as if he was about to chastise Baekhyun, probably for risking his life to save Minseok, for trying to go up against a crazy psychopath on his own, or for even running off in the first place and forcing him to go chasing after Baekhyun--

Baekhyun reached up to tug Minseok down towards him, kissing him - and resolved to never let him go ever again.

 

****

* * *

The silence stretched, filling up the entire hall.

“It is done then.” It was a question, rather than a statement.

Lu Han bowed his head in assent. “Yes, Eminence.”

“Good.” The third voice sounded satisfied. “Xeia will no longer need to fear such madness again.”

“For now,” the first voice cut in, coldly. “But you have done well, Captain. The Tribunal is grateful.”

“Gratitude is merely putting it mildly.” A fourth figure stepped up onto the dais. “Had the Captain not brought proof to the Tribunal’s attention of stolen abilities being sold to the rebels, Xeia would have had another full-scale war on its hands.” It turned its gaze towards Lu Han, although he could not see a face within the shadowed cowl. “There is nothing to be gained from it.”

“Agreed.” There was a fifth figure standing there now. “You may leave now, Captain. The Hall has ended.”

Lu Han bowed, holding his pose for several seconds, before straightening up. “With your permission, Eminence.” He kept his movements stiff and measured as he stepped away from the Hall, even though he felt his insides wobbling around.

Once the doors had swung shut behind him, Lu Han exhaled slowly. He could feel relief in his bones. It had been the most harrowing experience of his life to date, to stand there in front of the Tribunal, informing them of what had happened on the planet.

All was well that ended well, he supposed. He had used his old Academy connections to dig out more information on Woojin’s illegal activities. Finding the proof he needed took some careful maneuvering, but once he had it, he had gone straight to the Tribunal with his findings. On top of that, he had found out that Woojin’s father, Senator Yang, had been the one to make arrangements for Kyungsoo to be sent to Earth on the same transport as Minseok to kill him. It felt like irony, hearing that the Senator had sought some form of petty revenge for the death of his son who had been a criminal anyway. When Lu Han had shown the evidence to the Tribunal, along with the vast amounts of payments the Senator had made to the prison authorities, Senator Yang had been arrested.

As for Kyungsoo, however, there had been nothing left of him. He had been completely vaporized by Baekhyun, barely even leaving behind a speck of dust. 

Lu Han had been right about Baekhyun’s ability, which had lain dormant, hints of it trickling to the surface sparingly. Minseok had recovered, and so had his ability. Lu Han’s theory was that Minseok’s psyche had sought to protect itself from being separated from him, and it had reacted to Woojin’s transference by retreating as deeply as it could within Minseok, lying dormant within his sister’s charm until Baekhyun’s pendant had triggered it awake.

The pendant was a magnet for their abilities. It had drawn Minseok’s power out from the charm, and later on, from within Baekhyun, allowing him to defeat Kyungsoo. Lu Han had been ready to bring it back to the ship to study it, curious to understand how it worked - but Minseok had been firm in his refusal.

Lu Han made a face at the painting of the first Five that had formed the Tribunal, placed on the wall in front of him. So much for friendship and being ‘oath-brothers’ for life, he grumbled to himself, if Minseok couldn’t even lend him his pretty pendant for a few hours...

“One moment, Captain.”

Lu Han froze in his tracks, recognizing it as the same emotionless voice that had been spoken up in the Hall; the figure that had looked straight at him as it spoke. 

He turned around slowly. The cowled figure stood a few feet away. It moved, taking the few remaining steps to reach Lu Han, almost gliding across the marble floors. Its robes rippled around it, the waves of cloth seemingly alive, even though Lu Han could feel no wind against his skin, no breeze to cause them to move. He could feel his heart pounding at the unnatural sight, and he held his breath.

It stopped in front of Lu Han, raising its arms to push back its hood to reveal its face - and Lu Han found himself looking back at the pleasant, smiling face of an older gentleman.

The man’s hair was white, so white that it seemed to glow slightly in the evening light that trickled through the glass ceilings of the citadel. His hair was tied back neatly behind his head. His eyes, previously colorless, had faded back to their original dark hues, and now they were trained on Lu Han, studying him.

“Venerable Lord,” Lu Han greeted respectfully, bowing low. “I did not expect you to leave the Tribunal chambers so soon.” He found that he could breathe again; his heartbeat was still pounding madly, however.

“And miss exchanging a few words with a member of my family, whom I have not seen in years? Even the most soulless member of the Tribunal would be hard-pressed to deny such an opportunity,” the elderly man replied in a normal voice. His eyes were filled with something resembling amusement. “How’s the family?”

“From her last missive, Mother is planning another successful charity event and Father is in the midst of expanding the army,” Lu Han replied automatically.

The hand that gripped his shoulder was firm, but gentle. “Han. I asked how they were - not a member of the Tribunal - but as your great-grandfather.”

Lu Han dropped his gaze to the floor, feeling somewhat chastised. He felt uncertain of how to respond to familiar manner from his great-grandfather. The last time he had spoken to the old man, Lu Han had been a wide-eyed gullible trainee in his first year at the Academy. That had been a long time ago. 

“They--they are well,” he replied somewhat awkwardly. “Although Father feels that I should not have involved myself in Xeian affairs. On top of that, he’s not too pleased to find out about my other ability.” That was putting it mildly. His father had been livid to find that his own son was an empath, and it was only when his mother stepped in that he had calmed down.

For the sake of appearances, however, he issued a command to Lu Han to keep his additional ability quiet. It would not do for their citizens to find out what he was while the law against empaths still existed. He had also demanded for Lu Han to return home to his duties.

Lu Zhao sighed heavily. “I had hoped that he would have changed his mind once I had asked for you to be sent to the Academy instead of being placed with the other empaths.” He eyed Lu Han, who was a spitting image of his younger self. “Walk with me for a little while. I would like to hear more of your adventures.” 

A familiar shiver ran across Lu Han’s skin, and he could feel it as his great-grandfather wove a sound barrier around them. It was subtle enough that anyone else but Lu Han would have missed it, having not been trained to recognize the signs.

He fell into step, his hands held behind his back. They must have made for an interesting sight, walking side by side - Lu Han thought - the dark robes of the Tribunal member a stark contrast against his mercenary gear.

“I heard about your recounting of the incidents on Earth,” Lu Zhao said casually. “A rather interesting turn of events, discovering the lost piece of our history beneath the mountains. The government is in an state of apoplexy over the news. Seems that you’ve a knack for causing quite a stir lately.”

Lu Han winced. “It was not my intention.”

His great-grandfather waved his apologies away. “It is Xeia that must decide on the outcome. The Tribunal, however, will place sanctions to keep anyone from entering Earth’s vicinity for a while, until the decisions are made final.” He shook his head. “It will take some time, but I fear we will have many casting their votes against bringing them back to Xeia, unless the people elect a new government.”

“I’m not sure they would leave either,” Lu Han murmured. “The colony is the only home that they’ve ever known.” Joonmyun had told him as much, when Lu Han had offered to return to Xeia. “It’s just--” He stopped here, unsure if he would be overstepping his bounds by asking the very question that had been lingering in his mind since he had found out about the displaced Xeians. “How did they end up there?”

Lu Zhao’s expression was regretful. “A very long time ago, on the orders of the Tribunal, Byun Kihyun led a contingent towards Earth to assist with the evacuation of the inhabitants. They were too late to stop the devastation on the planet. Kihyun was caught in the aftermath and lost to us, along with seventeen other ships from our homeworld. The loss of so many, and the shame of a failed mission was too great, and the details were buried.” A look of grief flashed across his face. “I was not elected to the Tribunal yet and was only Fourth Ranked. Kihyun was my oath-brother, and a Light Adept.” 

Lu Han thought of the books in Baekhyun’s house - journals filled with pages and pages of Baekhyun’s great-grandfather’s stories about the creation of the colony. The name had been inscribed at the bottom of each of the entries. _Byun Kihyun_.

He glanced at the elderly man, noticing the way he stood with lingering sadness in his eyes. “He lived for a very long time,” Lu Han said softly. “You would have been proud of what he had accomplished there.”

A warm smile grew on the old man’s face. He raised his hand to grip Lu Han’s shoulder firmly, squeezing it in assurance. “There is one more thing you should know. Before he left, I gave him a gift. A pendant which could be used to enhance our abilities, in order to protect him.” He gave Lu Han a knowing look, before releasing him just as the shield began to unravel around them. 

Lu Han saw that they had arrived at the doors leading to the Citadel’s hangars, where his ship was docked. “By the way, I hope you’ll pass a message along to your mother that I’ll be visiting next month,” his great-grandfather added. There was a merry twinkle in his eye. “I expect she’ll make your father’s life a misery over it, but it’ll give him something else to be distracted by while you go off on your next hunt.”

Lu Han found himself grinning back.

Aboard the _Skylark_ , as he watched Jongin teleporting himself all over the bridge, leaving imprints of himself in the air in his wake, Lu Han leaned back against his command chair, crossing his legs lazily. He considered where he would go next. There was that time smuggler who had been spotted in Naedin 6 with a bounty on for his capture worth millions of gold credits. An uprising in the Xufir homeworld, brought about by the appearance of a long-lost heir to the throne, whom Lu Han remembered being tall, uncoordinated and completely devoid of any sense of direction when it came to his flying ability.

For now, Lu Han thought, he had one last thing to do. “Set a course for Mivari, Jongin.” Two messages to deliver: one to his mother, and another, long overdue, to his father.

“Let’s go home.”


	7. Epilogue

Minseok watched as Joonmyun stopped to crouch, smiling at the little girl as she tiptoed to place the flower crown on his head. His smile grew bigger as he spoke to her. Whatever he had said must have been amusing to her, because she ended up giggling visibly, before running off, her small legs carrying her as fast as they could back to her mother.

Next to him, Jongdae continued to bicker with Baekhyun over the plans they were reviewing for the colony, shaking his cane at him to punctuate his points. The life-like prosthetic leg that Lu Han had helped obtain from the Syndicate was attached to him now, replacing the one that Kyungsoo had ripped off. When he saw Joonmyun approaching, he turned his attention towards him and opened his mouth, his expression evident that he was about to complain about Baekhyun - but then Joonmyun kissed him in front of everyone and he had said nothing more after that. 

Minseok thought of the events that had happened over the past few months. At first, Baekhyun’s discovery of his own ability had left him worried, especially when Baekhyun said that he wanted to use it to power the colony. He wasn’t sure how the colonists would react to the sight of something like that; furthermore, he didn’t know if Baekhyun could control his power well enough.

It had worked out, however. Not only had the colonists accepted his suggestion, but they had accepted his ability too. As the days passed, it became apparent that Baekhyun was not the only person with such a gift: when Sehun showed up at their doorstep, the breeze that he brought with him sent the pages of Minseok’s books fluttering. The young man had kept it hidden all this while, and now Jongdae was looking at ways to use his gift to help the colony. More and more were beginning to reveal their gifts, awakened after laying dormant for so long. 

Lu Han had delivered his own news as well. He had revealed Woojin’s activities to the Tribunal, and cleared Minseok of the accusations wrought by the Senator. However, Minseok _had_ killed Woojin, even if it had been an act of self-defense, and the Tribunal could not allow him to go unpunished for that. His sentence still stood, but it had been reduced - furthermore, while he was not allowed to return to Xeia until he completed his sentence, he was allowed to remain on Earth instead of being relocated to the prison colony on Mars.

Furthermore, Lu Han had seen Minseok’s family. His parents had been overwhelmed to learn that Minseok was not only alive, but that he was happy, and they had sent along their messages to Minseok via Lu Han. He also learnt that his sister was beginning to show signs of waking up. Perhaps, one day, he’d be able to see her again.

Arms slipped around his waist, and he felt warm lips brush against his cheek. “You’re thinking again,” Baekhyun whispered in his ear. “What are you thinking about?”

Minseok turned around to face him. He saw that Baekhyun was grinning at him. “I wasn’t really thinking.”

“Hah,” Baekhyun replied. “Your face always looks like this when you are.” To Minseok’s amusement, he scrunched up his face, narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips in mock exaggeration. “See?”

“I don’t really look like that, do I?”

Baekhyun snorted, and then yelped, jumping back and rubbing his bottom, a scandalized look on his face. “Minseok! That’s not fair!”

Minseok chuckled as he pulled his ability back, the icy vine he had flicked at Baekhyun retreating within. “Are you done with Jongdae?” he asked. “I thought of heading back to look through another one of the journals.”

Baekhyun huffed. “You’re always reading those things,” he complained, but he slipped his hand through the crook of Minseok’s arm anyway. They started walking up the streets. “Soon you’re going to be as old and dusty as them.”

“Those journals will help the colony,” Minseok explained patiently, “and your great-grandfather’s plans will--”

Baekhyun stopped walking and gazed into Minseok’s eyes, taking a deep breath. “I love you,” he said, “but the fact that you would rather pick my family’s journals over spending time with me makes you a little dry and dusty. Plus, there the problem about you being some sort of fancy Adept who can make ice and freeze things, yet you won’t even make it snow and--”

Minseok kissed him soundly. It was, he had come to learn, a very useful trick when it came to Baekhyun.

“I love you too,” he said finally, when he released Baekhyun from the kiss. “So let’s go home, and I’ll show you what else I can do with the abilities.” Minseok was most gratified to see the blush that crept into Baekhyun’s cheeks. 

As they walk back towards their home, Minseok couldn’t help but slide his hand down his hand to entwine their fingers together, feeling his heart grow full, his soul content with his place in this moment.

The future was opened to a thousand possibilities - and he would chase each one of them down - fearless, like the stars.

  


* * *

_“Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.” - **Rumi**_

  
  
_~fin~_  
  


**Author's Note:**

> A big THANK YOU to my betas who madly sprinted with me to the finish line with this; **C** who stayed up with me till late every night to cheer me on and pick through my plot holes and deliriously bad writing, and to **R** who power-beta’ed this at the final hour and gave me the encouragement not to set the entire thing on fire - you are both my world  <3


End file.
